Disaster & Disease1 May 1960

1960 U-2 incident spy aircraft

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UnknownPublic domainWikimedia Commons

On 1 May 1960, a United States U-2 spy plane, having taken off from Peshawar in Pakistan, was shot down by the Soviet Air Defence Forces in Sverdlovsk, Russia. It was conducting photographic aerial reconnaissance inside Soviet territory while being flown by American pilot Francis Gary Powers, as it was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Powers parachuted to the ground and was captured.

Gallery

Andrew GoodpasterPublic domainWikimedia Commons
Central Intelligence Agency from Washington, D.C.Public domainWikimedia Commons
Central Intelligence AgencyPublic domainWikimedia Commons
NyttendPublic domainWikimedia Commons
Виталий БарсовCC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons
Robert M. ChapinPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The Central Intelligence AgencyPublic domainWikimedia Commons
The Central Intelligence AgencyPublic domainWikimedia Commons
UnknownUnknown — LoC, rights unverifiedLibrary of Congress
UnknownUnknown — LoC, rights unverifiedLibrary of Congress

Key figures

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