On October 5, 1986, Nicaraguan government forces took down an American plane carrying supplies for the Contras, the country's rebel forces. A month later, Middle Eastern journalists unveiled a secret journey made by members of President Ronald Reagan's administration to Iran. The purpose of the trip was to negotiate the exchange of missiles for the release of American hostages held in Lebanon. As the world soon discovered, these seemingly unrelated events were intertwined, leading to a major scandal that became known as the Iran-Contra affair.