Atom bomb nearly detonated over North Carolina in 1961
Ron Czapala
Posts: 2,418
Interesting article!
http://news.yahoo.com/us-nearly-detonated-atomic-bomb-accident-1961-file-095356688.html
LONDON (AFP) - The US Air Force came dramatically close to detonating a huge atomic bomb over North Carolina in 1961, according to a newly declassified document published by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Saturday.Two hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over the city of Goldsboro, North Carolina on January 23, 1961 when the B-52 plane carrying them broke up in mid-air, according to the file.One of the bombs began to detonate -- a single switch was all that stopped it from doing so.
The three other safety mechanisms designed to prevent an unintended detonation failed.The US government has acknowledged the accident before, but the 1969 document is the first confirmation of how close the United States came to nuclear catastrophe on that day."It would have been bad news in spades," wrote its author, US government scientist Parker F. Jones.The bomb was 260 times more powerful than the one that devastated Hiroshima in 1945, according to the Guardian.The accident happened at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The declassified report was obtained by US investigative journalist Eric Schlosser under freedom of information legislation."The US government has consistently tried to withhold information from the American people in order to prevent questions being asked about our nuclear weapons policy," said Schlosser."We were told there was no possibility of these weapons accidentally detonating, yet here's one that very nearly did."Jones jokingly titled the report "Goldsboro Revisited, or: How I Learned To Mistrust the H-Bomb", a reference to Stanley Kubrick's classic 1964 film about nuclear Armageddon, "Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".
http://news.yahoo.com/us-nearly-detonated-atomic-bomb-accident-1961-file-095356688.html
LONDON (AFP) - The US Air Force came dramatically close to detonating a huge atomic bomb over North Carolina in 1961, according to a newly declassified document published by Britain's Guardian newspaper on Saturday.Two hydrogen bombs were accidentally dropped over the city of Goldsboro, North Carolina on January 23, 1961 when the B-52 plane carrying them broke up in mid-air, according to the file.One of the bombs began to detonate -- a single switch was all that stopped it from doing so.
The three other safety mechanisms designed to prevent an unintended detonation failed.The US government has acknowledged the accident before, but the 1969 document is the first confirmation of how close the United States came to nuclear catastrophe on that day."It would have been bad news in spades," wrote its author, US government scientist Parker F. Jones.The bomb was 260 times more powerful than the one that devastated Hiroshima in 1945, according to the Guardian.The accident happened at the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The declassified report was obtained by US investigative journalist Eric Schlosser under freedom of information legislation."The US government has consistently tried to withhold information from the American people in order to prevent questions being asked about our nuclear weapons policy," said Schlosser."We were told there was no possibility of these weapons accidentally detonating, yet here's one that very nearly did."Jones jokingly titled the report "Goldsboro Revisited, or: How I Learned To Mistrust the H-Bomb", a reference to Stanley Kubrick's classic 1964 film about nuclear Armageddon, "Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb".
Comments
Either that, or an aurora.
At that time, the US had nerve gas and that was "perfectly safe" as well. We are progressing, but ever so slowly.
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/1174/repercussions-from-air-force-nuclear-weapons-incident-continue
The USSR had similar incidents during the cold war that nearly resulted in their accidentally initiating a nuclear exchange. Between the US and the USSR six nuclear submarines have sunk to the bottom of the Atlantic. Who knows what their weapons payload is, but even the reactor fuel poses a danger. It's even scarier for the Indian subcontinent because India and Pakistan are so close to each other. They have much less margin for error.
We all crawled under a desk and put our head between our knees.
Popular Science had excellent articles on building your backyard fallout shelter that you were supposed to stay in for many months untill the radiation levels went down.
As a survivor of the cold war, I can't tell you how relieved I am to see the post-cold war generations wholeheartedly embrace whatever the opposite of ignorant is and, instead, as a group, push relentlessly into the final frontiers.
Unlike the multitudes of human generations that have come before them, these post-cold war generations have ascended above and beyond the lower forces of greed and instead have faithfully embraced the concept of spreading freedom and democracy all around the world.... even if only 50 cents an hour at a time.
Unlike in my day, people nowadays are so immensely hip.
"What's the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know, and I don't care." - Origin unknown and not important.
I think your sarcasm bit may be stuck on. I recognize the symptoms. Our motto should be "Never trust a government or bureaucracy".