What is the Bay of Pigs invasion?

The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months after John F. Kennedy assumed the presidency in the United States. The Cuban armed forces, trained and equipped by Eastern Bloc nations, defeated the invading combatants within three days. The main invasion landing took place at a beach named Playa Giron, located at the mouth of the bay. The invasion is named after the Bay of Pigs, although that is just one possible translation of the Spanish Bahia de Cochinos. In Latin America, the conflict is often known as La Batalla de Giron, or just Playa Giron.