Timelines can be helpful in visualizing the progression of events. This timeline, from the Reagan Library, highlights President Reagan's involvement with the Cold War from 1981-1989.
The British Library's Timelines: Sources from History includes images of primary texts.
American Decades - Primary Documents by 
Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms, 2nd ed. by 
Cold War America, 1946 to 1990 by 
Encyclopedia of Cold War Espionage, Spies, and Secret Operations by 
The Fifties in America by 
The Sixties in America by 
Full-text reference books for U.S. and world history.
