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Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting

Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?

Queen Elizabeth II addresses at opening of Parliament. (Date unknown on photo, but may be 1958, the first time the opening of Parliament was filmed.)

All 119 References in “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” Explained

President Richard M. Nixon smiles and gives the victory sign as he boards the White House helicopter after his resignation on August 9, 1974 in Washington, D.C.

Timeline of the 1970s

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

A pet macaw. Large colourful parrot native to tropical America. Bird, companionship, bird, beak, alert, squawk. For AFA new year resolution.

11 Popular—Or Just Plain Odd—Presidential Pets

Discover

July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.

Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?

Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.

6 Wars of Independence

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,

Which Religion Is the Oldest?

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

détente: Related Content

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Topics

foreign policy economic statecraft compellence brinkmanship deterrence containment appeasement

Key People

Richard Nixon

Richard Nixon

president of United States

Charles de Gaulle

Charles de Gaulle

president of France

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

United States statesman

Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Brezhnev

president of Soviet Union

Hans-Dietrich Genscher

German foreign minister

Cyrus Vance

Cyrus Vance

American statesman