This Photo Almost Started a Nuclear War ☢️

Morning Missiles!

This photo of Cuba Almost started a nuclear war!

Crazy story…

So, It's the 1960s.

At the time, the United States and the Soviet Union kinda… hated each other.

Like a LOT!

But instead of battling to the death, they decided to keep things chill.

Instead they would just spy on each other and make sure they both had enough nukes to destroy the entire world multiple times over.

AKA the Cold War!

The only trouble?

America had no idea what the Soviets were up to most of the time.

Cause the Soviets were VERY secretive…

And that was a problem.

But then… the American Prez at the time Dwight D Eisenhower came up with a solution:

And you know what… IT ACTUALLY WORKED.

They developed a fancy high-altitude spy plane that could fly like 13 miles above the Earth’s surface.

(For reference normal planes fly at about 7 miles up)

This spy plane’s cameras were said to be SOOO powerful that they could “spot a golf ball on a putting green from 40,000 feet”

Ok so here’s where it gets interesting.

The US was a bit worried that the Soviets might be using the nearby Communist country of Cuba as a nuclear missile base.

And Cuba… is kinda close to America. 

Which means the US mainland could be in range of soviet nukes…

Not good.

So, the CIA began flying their fancy new spy planes over Cuba taking a bunch of photos to be sent to analysis.

And eventually, an analyst dude called Dino Brugioni found something in one of the photographs…

Military tents, trucks, launcher equipment…

And, most suspiciously, missile transport trailers measuring exactly 65 feet in length.

(The exact same length as the Soviet SS-4 Missile) 

Uh oh…

 Yeah lol, the new president, (John F Kennedy) went for a slightly more chill approach.

Opting for a simple naval blockade to prevent any further soviet supplies entering Cuba and to put pressure on them to remove their nukes.

However the situation still got incredibly HEATED.

And it was arguably the closest the entire world has ever come to nuclear war.

In all of history.

Both sides were ready, with their hands hovering over their nuke buttons…

But then… last minute a secret deal was made.

A deal was made!!

Both sides got rid of their respective nuclear missile sites…

And that was it… nuclear war avoided!

Stay Cute,
Reece, Henry & Dylan 🌈

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