World History Minute: The Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)

World History Minute: The Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)
World History Minute: The Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)

World History Minute: The Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961)

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.
On this day in 1961, 1500 Cuban exiles recruited by the US government landed on the Bay of Pigs in Cuba expecting an uprising. Instead, they were met with a fierce retaliation by communist leader Fidel Castro. Historian John Schmidt explains how the failed invasion at the Bay of Pigs affected President John F. Kennedy’s administration. (Photo: Flickr/awm08d)