Two falling nukes almost obliterated North Carolina in the 1960s

Two nuclear bombs plummeted from a splintering B-52 bomber in January 1961 and plopped down outside Goldsboro, North Carolina, according to newly-declassified government documents. And though the plane's disintegration triggered the "fuzing sequence" in both weapons, neither went off because of miraculous technical issues.

One bomb was missing pins necessary for detonation, but only because they were ripped out in the crash. The other — whose parachute failed to deploy — slammed into the ground, initiating the explosion sequence but simultaneously damaging another part necessary for detonation.

"By the slightest margin of chance," former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara put it, "literally the failure of two wires to cross, a nuclear explosion was averted."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up