9 times the world was at the brink of nuclear war — and pulled back

Over the course of the Cold War, and several times after it, the citizens of the world were forced to hold their breath as the superpowers came close to nuclear war.

Here are nine times the world was at the brink of nuclear war — but pulled back:

October 5, 1960 - The moon is mistaken for missiles

Early warning radar quickly became one of the most important tools in the nuclear age. American radar stations were built all around the world with the hope that they would detect incoming Soviet missiles, warning the homeland of a strike and allowing for the president to form a response.

On October 5, 1960, one such warning was issued from a newly constructed early warning radar station in Thule, Greenland (now called Qaanaaq). Dozens of missiles were reportedly detected, and at one point were said to reach the US in 20 minutes.

A panic ensued at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) HQ in Colorado, and NORAD was placed on its highest alert level.

The panic was put to rest when it was realized that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was visiting New York at the time. A later investigation found that the radar had mistaken the moon rising over Norway as Soviet missiles.

November 24, 1961 - A single switch causes a mechanical failure

Just over a year later, Strategic Air Command (SAC) HQ in Omaha, Nebraska lost contact with the Thule radar station. SAC officials then tried to contact NORAD HQ in Colorado, but the line was reportedly dead.

It was determined before that the probability that both Thule and NORAD's communications would shut down due to technical malfunction was very low, making SAC believe that an attack was underway.

SAC's entire alert force was ordered to prepare for takeoff, but crisis was averted when a US bomber managed to make contact with Thule and confirm no attack was underway.

It was later discovered that a single malfunctioning switch managed to shut down all communications, even emergency hotlines, between SAC, Thule, and NORAD.

October 25, 1962 - A bear almost turns the Cuban Missile Crisis hot

The Cuban Missile Crisis is perhaps the closest the world has ever come to global nuclear war. Four instances over the 13-day event stand out in particular, the first one happening on October 25, 1962.

Tensions were already high during the crisis, and the US military was placed on

October 27, 1962 - A Soviet sub almost launches a nuclear torpedo

Two of the instances actually occurred on the same day — October 27, 1962, arguably the most dangerous day in history.

On the morning of October 27, a U-2F reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by the Soviets while over Cuba, killing its pilot, causing tensions to escalate to their highest point.

Later, a Soviet submarine, the B-59, was detected trying to break the blockade that the US Navy had established around Cuba. The destroyer

October 27, 1962 - The US Air Force sends out nuclear armed fighters

On the very same day, US Air Force pilots almost caused WW III to break out over the Bering Sea, the body of water between Alaska and Russia.

A US Air Force U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was en route to the North Pole for an air sampling mission. The spy plan accidentally crossed into Soviet airspace and lost track of its location, spending 90 minutes in the area before turning East to leave.

As it did so, at least six MiG fighter jets were sent to shoot down the U-2 while it was trespassing. Strategic Air Command, worried about the prospect of losing another U-2, sent F-102 Delta Daggers armed with nuclear Falcon air-to-air missiles.

Upon learning of the situation, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara reportedly yelled "this means war with the Soviet Union!" President John F. Kennedy reportedly said that “there’s always some son of a b---- that doesn’t get the word."

Luckily, the F-102s never encountered the MiGs, and escorted the U-2 back to Alaska.

October 28, 1962 - Radar operators get confused over an unknown satellite

One day after those events, radar operators in Moorestown, New Jersey reported to NORAD HQ just before 9:00 AM that Soviet nuclear missiles were on their way, and were expected to strike at exactly 9:02 near Tampa, Florida.

All of NORAD was immediately alerted and scrambled to respond, but the time passed without any detonations, causing NORAD to delay any actions.

It was later discovered that the Moorestown radar operators were confused because the facility was running a test tape that simulated a missile launch from Cuba when a satellite unexpectedly appeared over the horizon.

Additional radars were not operating at the time, and the Moorestown operators were not informed that the satelite was inbound because the facility that handled such operations was on other work related to the situation in Cuba.

November 9, 1979 - A training drill almost turns real

At 3:00 AM on November 9, 1979, computers at NORAD HQ lit up with warnings that thousands of nuclear missiles had been launched from Soviet submarines and were headed for the US.

SAC was alerted immediately and US missile crews were on the highest alert level possible, and nuclear bombers were preparing for takeoff.

The National Emergency Airborne Command Post, the airplane that is supposed to carry the president during a nuclear attack to ensure his command over the nuclear arsenal even took off, though without President Jimmy Carter on board.

National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski knew that the president's decision making time was somewhere between three to seven minutes, and so decided to hold off telling Carter in order to be absolutely sure there was a real threat.

Six minutes of extreme worry passed, and satellites confirmed that no attack was taking place. It was later discovered that a technician had accidentally inserted a training tape simulating such a scenario into one of the computers.

Marshall Shulman, then a senior US State Department adviser, reportedly said in a now-declassified letter that was designated Top Secret that “false alerts of this kind are not a rare occurrence. There is a complacency about handling them that disturbs me.”

September 26, 1983 - A Soviet colonel makes the biggest gamble in history

After 23 minutes, Petrov's theory that it was a false alarm was confirmed. It was later discovered that a Soviet sattelite had mistaken sunlight reflecting off the top of clouds as missiles.

January 25, 1995 - Nuclear worries remain after the Soviet Union

Four years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation's first president, Boris Yeltsin, almost started a nuclear war.

Russian early warning radar detected a launch of a missile with similar characteristics to a submarine-launched

Yeltsin was given the Cheget, Russia's version of the nuclear briefcase (sometimes known as the Football), and the launch codes for Russia's missile arsenal. Russia's submarines were also placed on alert.

Fortunately, Yeltsin's belief that it was a false alarm proved correct, and Russian satellites confirmed that there was no activity from US missile sites.

9 times the world was at the brink of nuclear war — and pulled back

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