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0You are listening to Curiosity Curated. I am Zong.
History is filled with moments where catastrophe was narrowly avoided, where the threads of fate unraveled just enough to spare us from unimaginable consequences. But what if those threads held the weight of entire civilizations, the potential to extinguish millions of lives in an instant?
For over 75 years, humanity has lived under a shadow, a specter of annihilation unlike any other. The weapons we built to protect us, to deter conflict through the terrifying logic of mutually assured destruction, have also become the very instruments that could bring about our demise.
On January 23, 1961, in Goldsboro, North Carolina, what began as a routine flight of a B-52 bomber became a harrowing race against time. A mid-air accident sends the bomber spiraling toward the ground, its deadly cargo - two hydrogen bombs - threatening to unleash their terrifying force. The world holds its breath, unaware of how close it came to the precipice.
The Goldsboro incident exemplifies the fragile reality of our nuclear history—one marked by accidents, near-misses, and the constant threat of catastrophic miscalculation. Following Eric Schlosser's book "Command and Control” and Serhii Plokhy’s “Nuclear Folly”, this episode explores pivotal nuclear accidents and close calls since World War II that could have reshaped human history. These events highlight not only the devastating power at our fingertips but also the vital importance of safety protocols and clear communication in averting disaster.
It's a subject that forces us to confront the chilling reality that despite decades without nuclear war, humanity has teetered on the brink of annihilation on multiple occasions.
00:20 Episode Intro
02:36 Nuclear Deterrence
07:30 Mars Bluff Accident
11:10 Nuclear Weapon & Design Explained
20:40 The Goldsboro Accident
22:32 Greenland Thule Air Base Accident
23:40 Other Sealed-Pit Weapon Accidents
25:33 Three Basic Safety Principles, Resistance, and Fowler Letter
29:27 The Man Who Saved the World
32:54 Able Archer 83: When Exercise Nearly Became Reality
34:57 The Wrong Tape: NORAD's Close Call
37:32 The Cuban Missile Crisis: Nuclear Diplomacy on a Knife's Edge
49:00 Conclusion
(Source: Command and Control by Eric Schlosser, Nuclear Folly by Serhii PlokhyFor any feedback, please contact: cur2zong@gmail.com)
Opening Music: Vision by Steven Gutheinz
Closing Music: Who Am I by Dario Lupo
