13 days when the world nearly went to war.
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Before we read, let's learn the important words. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = B (a war) · 2 = D (a missile) · 3 = C (an enemy) · 4 = F (dangerous)
5 = A (a leader / a president) · 6 = H (a deal) · 7 = G (to stop) · 8 = E (afraid)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
In 1962, two very powerful countries almost started a terrible war. They were the United States (USA) and the Soviet Union (Russia). At that time, these two countries were not friends. They were enemies.
This story is called the Cuban Missile Crisis. It lasted 13 days in October 1962.
American spy planes flew high in the sky and took photos. The photos showed something frightening. The Soviet Union was secretly building places for nuclear missiles on a small island called Cuba. Cuba is very close to America. From Cuba, a missile could hit an American city very quickly. This was very dangerous.
1. Which two countries were in this story? Were they friends or enemies?
2. What did the American spy planes find in Cuba?
1. The United States (USA) and the Soviet Union (Russia). They were enemies — they were not friends.
2. They found that the Soviet Union was secretly building places for nuclear missiles on Cuba, very close to America.
The American president was a man called John F. Kennedy. When he saw the photos, he was very worried.
President Kennedy wanted to stop more weapons from coming to Cuba. So he used American ships. The ships made a line around the island. They were there to stop Soviet ships with more missiles.
For many days, the whole world was very afraid. People thought there could be a nuclear war. A nuclear war would kill millions of people. Nobody knew what would happen next.
1. Who was the American president? How did he feel?
2. What did Kennedy do with the American ships?
1. The president was John F. Kennedy. He was very worried.
2. He used the ships to make a line around Cuba, to stop more weapons from arriving.
The most dangerous day was 27 October. On this day, many people were afraid the war would start.
But the leaders of both countries did not want a war. They knew a war would be terrible for everybody. So they talked, and they tried to find an answer.
On 28 October, they made a deal. The Soviet Union agreed to take the missiles away from Cuba. America agreed not to attack Cuba. Both sides gave something, and both sides got something. There was no war. The world was safe again.
1. Why did the leaders not want a war?
2. What was the deal on 28 October?
1. They knew a war would be terrible for everybody.
2. The Soviet Union took the missiles away from Cuba, and America promised not to attack Cuba. So there was no war.
In this story, people were afraid of things that did not really happen. We can talk about an imagined situation with "if" and would.
Put the verbs in the right form: if + past simple, and would + verb.
1. If there (be) a nuclear war, it (be) terrible.
2. If the leaders (fight), millions of people (die).
3. If America (attack) Cuba, the Soviet Union (be) very angry.
1. was / would be
2. fought / would die
3. attacked / would be
Read each question and answer it out loud. Start your answer with "If…, I would…".
1. If you were a leader, what would you do? (Example: "If I were a leader, I would talk to the other side.")
2. If you had a big problem with a friend, what would you do?
3. If there was a big problem in your town, who would you ask for help?
1. "If I were a leader, I would try to make a deal." / "If I were a leader, I would not start a war."
2. "If I had a big problem with a friend, I would talk to them quietly."
3. "If there was a big problem in my town, I would ask the police (or my family) for help."
Remember: if + past simple, then would + verb.
There is a real podcast about the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. Hosted by historians, roughly 50 minutes.
Listen on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis in your own words. Use these steps to help you: two enemy countries → spy planes find missiles in Cuba → President Kennedy is worried → ships stop more weapons → the world is afraid → the leaders make a deal → no war.
Try to use some key words (war, missile, enemy, dangerous, leader, deal, to stop, afraid), and one "if" sentence (for example: "If there was a war, it would be terrible").
The leaders chose to talk, not to fight. Was that the right choice? Why do you think so? Is it always better to talk?
Tell me about a time when you, or someone you know, solved a big problem without fighting. What was the problem? What did they do?
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: