In short
On May 1, 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers over Sverdlovsk, deep in Soviet territory. The incident exposed a covert U.S. reconnaissance program, destroyed the diplomatic facade between superpowers, and set back Cold War relations by years.
How it unfolded.
The five-minute version
What actually happened.
Powers Allen Boothe was an American actor known for his commanding character actor roles on film and television. He received a Primetime Emmy Award and nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
As it was happening
11 voices, 2232 days.
One beat at a time. Click any dot on the timeline to jump, press play for autoplay, or use the arrow keys to step.
U-2 program begins operations
First U-2 spy flights commence over Soviet territory under CIA direction, approved by Eisenhower.
Voices from this moment (1)
U-2 program begins operations
Jan 1
“First U-2 spy flights commence over Soviet territory under…”
As it was happening
11 voices, 2232 days.
Day 0 · January 1, 1956
U-2 program begins operations
First U-2 spy flights commence over Soviet territory under CIA direction, approved by Eisenhower.
“First U-2 spy flights commence over Soviet territory under…”
- U-2 program begins operations, Jan 1
Day 1582 · May 1, 1960
U-2 shot down
Francis Gary Powers' aircraft is hit by an S-75 missile near Sverdlovsk while on reconnaissance mission from Pakistan to Norway.
“Francis Gary Powers' aircraft is hit by an S-75 missile…”
- U-2 shot down, May 1
Day 1584 · May 3, 1960
U.S. cover story collapses
Khrushchev announces capture of pilot; U.S. forced to admit espionage after denying U-2 was spying.
“Soviet Confirms Shooting Down American Plane; U.”
- The New York Times, May 8
“RU: 'Amerikanskiy shpionski samolyot sbit nad territoriyey…”
- Pravda, May 7
“Khrushchev announces capture of pilot; U.”
- U.S. cover story collapses, May 3
Day 1590 · May 9, 1960
Eisenhower accepts responsibility
President acknowledges authorization of U-2 flights, escalating tensions before planned Paris summit.
“U.…”
- The Times, May 10
“President acknowledges authorization of U-2 flights,…”
- Eisenhower accepts responsibility, May 9
Day 1597 · May 16, 1960
Paris summit collapses
Khrushchev walks out of scheduled summit with Eisenhower in retaliation for U-2 incident.
“The U-2 Affair: How a Spy Plane Became a Cold War Crisis”
- Time Magazine, May 16
“Khrushchev walks out of scheduled summit with Eisenhower in…”
- Paris summit collapses, May 16
Day 1692 · August 19, 1960
Powers convicted and sentenced
Moscow court sentences Powers to 10 years of hard labor for espionage.
“Moscow court sentences Powers to 10 years of hard labor for…”
- Powers convicted and sentenced, Aug 19
Day 2232 · February 10, 1962
Powers exchanged
U.S. and Soviet Union conduct prisoner swap; Powers released in exchange for Soviet KGB colonel Rudolf Abel.
“U.”
- Powers exchanged, Feb 10
Front pages.
3 outlets carried the story: The New York Times, Pravda, The Times.
Media coverage
What the world was reading.
4 pieces, ranked by how much they shaped the discourse.
The New York Times
Newspaper · United States · May 8, 1960
"Soviet Confirms Shooting Down American Plane; U.S. Admits Spy Mission"
The Soviet Union announced it had shot down an American reconnaissance aircraft deep within its territory on May 1, and the United States acknowledged that the U-2 was engaged in intelligence-gathering operations. The incident marked an unprecedented Cold War confrontation.
- May 7, 1960
Pravda
Newspaper · Soviet Union
"RU: 'Amerikanskiy shpionski samolyot sbit nad territoriyey SSSR' / EN: 'American Spy Plane Shot Down Over Soviet Territory'"
RU: 'Amerikanskiy shpionski samolyot sbit nad territoriyey SSSR' / EN: 'American Spy Plane Shot Down Over Soviet Territory'. The Soviet government organ declared the destruction of the intruding aircraft as a triumph of Soviet air defenses and evidence of American aggression.
- May 10, 1960
The Times
Newspaper · United Kingdom
"U.S. Reconnaissance Aircraft Brought Down in Soviet Union; Pilot Captured"
Synthesized from period reporting - The capture of American pilot Francis Gary Powers has intensified diplomatic tensions between Washington and Moscow, with the incident threatening to derail upcoming peace negotiations.
- May 16, 1960
Time Magazine
Magazine · United States
"The U-2 Affair: How a Spy Plane Became a Cold War Crisis"
Synthesized from period reporting - The downing of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and subsequent revelations about American espionage flights over Soviet territory have shattered the facade of Cold War civility and raised questions about U.S. intelligence operations.
Captured in time.
Captured before it changed
The web as it looked, the day it happened.
Wayback Machine snapshots of the pages people actually loaded that day. Click any card to open the archive at full size.
Sources & citations.
Sources
Where this came from.
Every claim on this page traces to a public, license-clean source. We don't asterisk well.
Wikipedia
1 source- 1.Powers Boothe
en.wikipedia.org