The U-2 incident, which occurred on May 1, 1960, refers to when an American U-2 spy plane, piloted by Francis Gary Powers, was shot down over the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. The aircraft, on a high-altitude reconnaissance mission, was taken down by a Soviet surface-to-air missile near Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) in the Ural Mountains region. The event significantly heightened tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and had long-lasting effects on pop culture and international relations.

• The U.S. initially claimed that the plane was on a weather research mission, but later admitted it was on a covert intelligence-gathering mission.
• The pilot, Francis Gary Powers, was captured by the Soviets and put on trial for espionage, sentenced to ten years in prison, but was released after 21 months in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel in 1962 during a famous spy swap on the Glienicke Bridge in Berlin.
• The U-2 aircraft was specifically designed for high-altitude reconnaissance and could fly at heights of up to 70,000 feet.
• The U-2 was nicknamed “Dragon Lady” due to its unique design and difficulty flying it.
• Powers was awarded the Intelligence Star by the CIA in 1963 after his return to the United States.
• During his imprisonment, Powers learned some Russian and taught his fellow prisoners English.
• The U-2 incident and the subsequent spy swap have been the subject of various books, movies, and documentaries, contributing to the cultural narrative of the Cold War.
• The high-profile nature of the event further fueled the public’s fascination with espionage and spy stories.
• The incident played a significant role in the worsening of U.S.-Soviet relations, leading to the collapse of the Paris Summit in 1960.

Prominent people and countries involved in the U-2 incident include U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the CIA, pilot Francis Gary Powers, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Armed Forces, and the Soviet legal system.