Please give a short explanation of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day period during October 1962 in which the United States and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear warfare. The Soviet Union had secretly begun stockpiling nuclear missiles on Cuba, and an American spy plane photographed these missile sites.

President John F. Kennedy and his advisors decided the best course of action was to place a naval blockade around Cuba to stop the Russians from bringing more supplies to Cuba. The Americans refused to remove the blockade until the Soviets destroyed the missile sites.

Many people feared the Soviet Union would respond by shooting a nuclear missile at the United States; the United States would respond in kind, causing a global nuclear catastrophe. Thankfully, this did not happen. The Americans and Soviets reached an agreement; the Soviets would destroy the missile sites and the Americans would leave Cuba alone. Nuclear warfare was averted.