The movie “Miracle” is an awesome, awesome reminder for people too young to remember the Cold War. The Soviets’ “amateur” national hockey team lost to the US in the semi-finals, to amateur hockey players they’d beaten 10-3 in an exhibition 11 days earlier.

But the historical perspective is more interesting:
Before:

• 1977-1981 — Jimmy Carter was the US president, featuring 14% interest rates, and lectured the nation about a “national malaise” that he helped cause
• Nov 4, 1979 — Iranians overran the US embassy on and held 52 people hostage for 444 days. Later, a bold a hostage rescue mission in Iran ended in disaster with 8 lives lost
• Dec 24, 1979 — Soviet Russia invades Afghanistan

Feb 22, 1980 – the “Miracle on Ice”

After:

• Nov 4, 1980 — Ronald Reagan is elected President of the US
• Jan 20, 1981– On Ronald Reagan’s Inauguration Day, Iran releases the 52 hostages

It was the beginning of the end for Soviet Russia, and gave rise to the United States as the world’s sole Superpower. Within a couple of years, Reagan famously told the Russians to pound sand at a nuclear disarmament negotiation; called then an “evil empire”; and stood at the Berlin Wall and said “tear down this wall”.

As for Russia, their empire began to crumble; they left Afghanistan in 1989, having lost over 14,000 soldiers and never bent the Afghans to their will; the Communist Party fell; the Eastern European satellites and the Baltic states became free republics; East Germany rejoined West Germany; and the Berlin Wall indeed was torn down.