8 Times When World Came Close To Nuclear War

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October 1960
Radar equipment in Greenland mistakenly interpreted a moon rise over Norway as a large-scale Soviet missile launch.

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January 1961
US bomber broke up mid-air near North Carolina, dropping its nuclear payload. A single switch prevented detonation.

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November 1961
Staff at US Strategic Air Command HQ lost contact with multiple ballistic missile early warning system sites. A faulty relay station was the culprit.

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November 1979
Computer errors at North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) led to full preparation for a non-existent Soviet nuclear attack.

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September 1980
An explosion in Arkansas ripped the doors off a silo and launched part of a nuclear missile out of the structure. Safety features prevented detonation.

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September 1983
A satellite warning system reported the launch of an American nuclear missile. Lt Colonel Stanislav Petrov convinced superiors it was a false alarm.

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January 1995
Russian President Boris Yeltsin activated a "nuclear briefcase" after systems detected a missile launch; it was later found to be a Norwegian research rocket.

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8 Times When World Came Close To Nuclear War

October 1960Radar equipment in Greenland mistakenly interpreted a moon rise over Norway as a large-scale Soviet missile launch.

January 1961US bomber broke up mid-air near North Carolina, dropping its nuclear payload. A single switch prevented detonation.

November 1961Staff at US Strategic Air Command HQ lost contact with multiple ballistic missile early warning system sites. A faulty relay station was the culprit.

November 1979Computer errors at North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) led to full preparation for a non-existent Soviet nuclear attack.

September 1980An explosion in Arkansas ripped the doors off a silo and launched part of a nuclear missile out of the structure. Safety features prevented detonation.

September 1983A satellite warning system reported the launch of an American nuclear missile. Lt Colonel Stanislav Petrov convinced superiors it was a false alarm.

January 1995Russian President Boris Yeltsin activated a "nuclear briefcase" after systems detected a missile launch; it was later found to be a Norwegian research rocket.