The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It began on October 16, 1962, when the United States discovered that the Soviet Union was constructing missile sites in Cuba. The crisis ended on October 28, 1962, when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw its missiles from Cuba in exchange for the United States' promise not to invade Cuba. The crisis was a major turning point in the Cold War, as it demonstrated the potential consequences of a nuclear conflict and led to the establishment of a direct communication channel between the two superpowers.