13 Chilling Nuclear War Facts

Interesting Facts about Nuclear War

Cold War Signal Cities: During the height of the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union had “signal cities” in opposing territories. In case of escalated hostility, they would target these cities to indicate a strong resolve.

Nuclear Submarine Letters: Popularly known as the “Letters of Last Resort,” all of the United Kingdom’s nuclear submarines have these letters, which stipulate what should be done in case of a nuclear war and are only opened when the region is hit by a nuclear war.

Vasily Arkhipov: The Man Who Saved the World from a Thermonuclear War: Vasily Arkhipov was a Soviet Naval officer who played a critical role in deciding whether Russia would attack the United States Navy with nuclear weapons. Fortunately, he voted against the idea, while the rest of his crew (2 out of 3) voted for it. The plan was not carried forward as the vote had to be unanimous.

13 Days of Missile Crisis: In 1962, during a high point of Cold War tensions between the United States and USSR, the latter had set their missiles in Cuba strategically, where they could easily hurt the United States. For 13 days, the United States warned the USSR to remove their stations, but to no avail. When a black bear intruded at Duluth Sector Direction Center in Minnesota, the situation further escalated.

The Norwegian Rocket Incident:: In 1983, NATO used Able Archer 83, an annual exercise by Europe-based NATO military forces that emphasized the use of chemical and nuclear weapons to scare the Soviets. This almost resulted in an accidental nuclear war.

Close Shaves During Cold War: Civilization was almost ended on multiple occasions during the Cold War. For instance, when a black bear intruded at Duluth Sector Direction Center in Minnesota, and when the calmer heads analyzed the situation and found it was a bear that had intruded, they had to drive a truck on the flight lane to stop the paths of fighter jets. The Norwegian Rocket Incident also came close to an accidental nuclear war.

Edgar Mitchel and Alien Friends: Astronaut Edgar Mitchel, the sixth man to walk on the moon, once claimed that there are peace-loving aliens who are anti-war between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The Madman Theory: During Richard Nixon’s presidency, the United States used the madman theory to deter their enemies and possibly stop a nuclear war. The administration portrayed President Nixon as a volatile and irrational figure to make the leaders of hostile Communist Bloc nations think that provoking him would result in an unpredictable response.

Stanislav Petrov: In 1983, Soviet Air Defence Forces lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov disobeyed orders and probably saved the world from a nuclear war. When the system reported that there was a missile attack launched by the United States, he judged the reports as false alarms and refrained from starting a retaliatory nuclear attack.

Switzerland’s Nuclear War Preparedness:: Following the destructive nature of the nuclear attacks in Hiroshma and Nagasaki, authorities in Switzerland required every house and other dwellings in the region to have fallout shelters. These facilities were meant to help protect citizens in case of a nuclear war or terrorist attack, although this rule is no longer applicable.

DEFCON Levels:: The seriousness of a nuclear war alert state depends on the Defense Readiness Condition (DEFCON). Typically issued by the United States Armed Forces, the levels vary. DEFCON 5 is the lowest, while DEFCON 1 means imminent nuclear war. However, the US military typically does not announce DEFCON levels to the public for security reasons.

Higher Life Expectancy:: According to a conspiracy theory, humans used to have a higher life expectancy than what we have today. It only dropped to the current levels when an ancient nuclear war wiped out early, significantly developed earth civilizations.

Massive Underground Bunker: In 1974, a massive underground secret bunker was discovered and disclosed to the public in Mt. Weather, VA. Apparently, the facility was meant to host government officials in case of a nuclear war.