> In 1946, which historical figure first used the term "Iron Curtain," during aspeech in the American state of Missouri? And the answer: Winston Churchill. Photo courtesy: shutterstock.comBetween 1945 and 1991, the Iron Curtain was aboundary, separating Soviet-controlled areas in Eastern Europe from those in theWest. The Iron Curtain's popularity as a Cold War symbol is attributed to itsuse in a speech by Winston Churchill, given in March 1946 at Westminster Collegein the United States."From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain hasdescended across the continent," declared former British prime ministerChurchill. Today known as one of the first defining moments of the impendingCold War, Churchill’s Iron Curtain speech introduced a phrase whose impacts onthe cultural vernacular are felt even today. Interestingly, "iron curtain" wasused as a metaphor long before Churchill popularized it. Somewhat ironically, itwas several Russian (and German) authors who engaged the term in the 1920s,using it to describe the "iron curtain descending on Russian history."Regardless of origin, Churchill’s speech assigned the "iron curtain" a newpower. Perhaps most significantly, the phrase began to erect the ideologicalwalls of the Cold War – walls that would only grow in the following decades.While much of the western public at the time still regarded the Soviet Union asan ally following the close of World War II, "iron curtain" gained popularity asa shorthand reference to the division of Europe as the Cold War strengthened. Eventually, the iron curtain became palpable in its political, economic andmilitary effects. The line of the iron curtain was drawn, and on either side ofit states developed their own international military alliances, namely theWarsaw Pact and NATO. Physically, the iron curtain took the form of borderdefenses between the countries of Europe in the middle of the continent, mostnotably the Berlin Wall.To learn more about Churchill’s iron curtain and its long-lasting effects, checkout the video below.