Today In History- October 19

Following the rise of Fidel Castro to power in Communist Cuba, on October 19, 1960, the U.S. formally banned all exports to Cuba in retaliation for Cuban conquest of American properties.  This economic warfare began in 1959, despite the U.S. initially supporting Castro.  Tensions escalated, however, as Castro's land reform acts infringed on American interests.  Such an event was influential in the period before the Cuban Missile Crisis, especially with the new Cuban alliance with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.