8. The U-2 Incident (1960)
On May 1, 1960, during the Cold War, a U.S. Lockheed U-2 spy plane piloted by Francis Gary Powers was shot down over the Soviet Union’s Sverdlovsk region. The incident occurred just days before a major summit in Paris, leading to a significant diplomatic crisis. The U.S. initially denied the mission’s purpose, but the Soviets presented evidence, including the pilot’s capture, forcing an admission. This event severely strained U.S.-Soviet relations and led to the collapse of the Paris Summit (history.com).
