Wednesday, December 15, 2021
On October 16, 1962, the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba began thirteen days that brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the edge of nuclear war.
On this day in 1962, American spy planes photographed Soviet nuclear missiles being installed in Cuba, ninety miles from Florida. What followed were thirteen days in which the United States and the Soviet Union stood closer to nuclear war than at any point before or since, while ordinary people watched the news and wondered whether the morning would come.
It ended in a negotiated step back, but the closeness of it left a mark. Families had drilled for this, schools had practiced taking cover, and the sudden reality that the drills might matter turned an abstract fear into something concrete for a generation.
The lesson is not to relive that dread but to respect it. Understanding the basics of fallout and shelter, keeping a plan for how a household would respond, and having supplies that do not depend on stores or power are the calm, practical answer to the kind of large-scale man made disaster that no one can control alone.
