From the 1940s until the 1990s the rivalry between the democratic Free World and the nations of the Communist bloc affected Americans' daily lives and events throughout the world. This "Cold War" actually became a "hot" one in Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf War but generally took the form of espionage and diplomatic maneuvers, with the United States, the Soviet Union and China as the major combatants. The Cold War Museum seeks to memorialize the people and events of those years and educate future generations about that era.

The Museum

We are currently looking forward to developing our permanent location at the Lorton Nike Missile Base upon approval from Fairfax County Park Authority. Features in the permanent museum building will include a central hall with large exhibits, a film theater, the main gallery, a picture gallery, temporary and rotating exhibition area, library and study areas and more. The central hall may include a U-2, a section of the Berlin Wall, a KH-11 "Spy" satellite and other historical Cold War reminders.

The museum has a mobile exhibit on the U-2 Incident of May 1, 1960. The exhibit has been displayed at many museums across the United States and internationally. The traveling exhibit has acted as a catalyst for the creation of a permanent Cold War Museum. To reserve the mobile exhibit, please contact the Cold War Museum. To see more on the museum background, Smithsonian affiliation and more, please refer to the links on the left side of our site.

Online you will find links to virtual exhibits, photo galleries, newsletters and many other collections of cold war related material. In our Gift Store you can purchase artifacts, books, jewelry or simply make a tax deductible donation in support of cold war history preservation.

Exhibits

In addition to our extensive mobile exhibit, the Museum currently hosts a variety of online exhibits, exhibiting artifacts and memorabilia associated with various Cold War related events and activities ranging from Winston Churchill's Fulton, Missouri speech to the Marshall Plan, to the fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the Soviet Union and more. The cold war museum also keeps first hand accounts of the time period and activities (in association with www.rb-29.net), priceless stories from the people who lived the history.

Activities

There are many activities available sponsored by the Museum. Special events include book signings, lectures on cold war history and a Spy Tour of places in Washington associated with famous espionage cases. There is also a great online trivia game to test your knowledge of the time periods history!

The Cold War Times®

There are many ways to stay in touch with us here at the museum. The best method is to sign up for the Museum's newsletter, The Cold War Times®. We have established the Cold War Times in order to chronicle the history of the Cold War and notify our subscribers of Cold War anniversaries, events and activities that relate to the Cold War.

Timeline

Located along the bottom of our website pages, our Cold War Timeline section lists major events in Cold War history classified by the decade they occurred - the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. Here you will find concise summaries about these significant events, and where possible, links to additional information.

Gift Store
Be sure to visit our gift store, where you will find many unique collectibles from the US, Soviet Union and other sources. Since The Cold War Museum is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity, by shopping online through our web site you will be supporting the goals of the Cold War Museum with each purchase.

In Summary

The Cold War Museum endeavors to maintain a historically accurate record of the people, places and events of the Cold War. By educating future generations about the fears, divisions, and dangers that the Cold War fostered, the Museum will enable visitors to reflect upon the global geopolitical climate in which many of us grew up.

In addition, The Cold War Museum seeks to develop learning opportunities regarding Cold War implications for public policy, public administration, national security, and international peace and arms control. Through such resources The Cold War Museum will enable future generations to learn from the successes and failures of the past.

The Cold War Museum is cultivating relationships with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Besopasnosti (KGB), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and the National Archives, federal, state, and local entities, for-profit and non-profit organizations, worldwide veteran organizations, and individual citizens. The development of these and other relationships will help to establish the features that will be incorporated into the Cold War Museum and enhance the Museum's educational value.