How close have we come to nuclear armageddon?

[Neil]

I remember that feeling of dread in the 80s where you felt any moment a nuclear war could break out... and it sounds like it was justified! I also remember in the mid 80s I was at home and all the air raid sirens in my town went off! That horrible classic sound was loud and clear and I knew what it might mean! It was a horrible few minutes until the sirens stopped and it was clear from the TV coverage that nothing was happening... Anyway, sounds like we've escaped by the skin of our teeth a few times...

[wayzim]

I remember that feeling of dread in the 80s where you felt any moment a nuclear war could break out... and it sounds like it was justified! I also remember in the mid 80s I was at home and all the air raid sirens in my town went off! That horrible classic sound was loud and clear and I knew what it might mean! It was a horrible few minutes until the sirens stopped and it was clear from the TV coverage that nothing was happening... Anyway, sounds like we've escaped by the skin of our teeth a few times... Truth be told, it was many more times than was good for us - and having a dad ( now departed ) who was an intelligence officer in the loop for a lot of these ( though he never broke protocal once ) that made my nuclear nightmares very real indeed. When your father was twice prepared to break security ( he didn't ) to tell us to run for the hills .... Scary doesn't begin cover it. This was late 60's through to early 70's. FYI Wayne Z

[Neil]

Truth be told, it was many more times than was good for us - and having a dad ( now departed ) who was an intelligence officer in the loop for a lot of these ( though he never broke protocal once ) that made my nuclear nightmares very real indeed. When your father was twice prepared to break security ( he didn't ) to tell us to run for the hills .... Scary doesn't begin cover it. This was late 60's through to early 70's. FYI Wayne Z I think it's hard for people who have grow up after the 70s/80s to understand that feeling of a dark cloud hanging around in your subconscious all the time!

[DjfunkmasterG]

I think the Cuban missile crisis had more of an impact on Americans than the cold war. While the cold war was 30 years ago... I never sensed or felt a sense of dread from anyone worried we may be wiped out by a nuclear weapon. However, I am also from a generation that loved movies like War Games and 1984, as well as Red Dawn. So my opinion and rationale cannot be construed or include every American.

[wayzim]

I think the Cuban missile crisis had more of an impact on Americans than the cold war. While the cold war was 30 years ago... I never sensed or felt a sense of dread from anyone worried we may be wiped out by a nuclear weapon. However, I am also from a generation that loved movies like War Games and 1984, as well as Red Dawn. So my opinion and rationale cannot be construed or include every American. I think that's part of the reason for my own love for apocalyptic fiction and movies; that it was a coping tool for handling something so terrifyingly real. The interesting thing here, was that when Reagan ( with his famous "We begin Bombing in 5 minutes. " joke. ) finally left office I'd stopped having such vivid dreams of nuclear armageddon. But I still love the genre. And I still hold onto a nonfiction book which I sorta inherited from Dad; written by Henry Kissinger back in 1957 called "Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy. " Some cool speculations there, and an interesting glimpse at the political and strategic mindsets during the 50's. Wayne Z

[krakenslayer]

Stanislav Petrov and NORAD Work-Experience Boy, I love you. x

[Mr. Clean]

LOL! I loved the part where the President's dooms day plane took off without him.

[krakenslayer]

LOL! I loved the part where the President's dooms day plane took off without him. Haha! Yeah, I thought I was the only one picturing Jimmy Carter chasing it up the runway, trying to flag it down with one arm whilst dragging a suitcase with the other.

[Tricky]

That film "Threads" is extremely frightening and depressing, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. Thankfully it didn't come true.

[krakenslayer]

That film "Threads" is extremely frightening and depressing, you can watch the whole thing on YouTube. Thankfully it didn't come true. A great film. It terrifies me to watch it now, I can't imagine how pants-shittingly horrendous it must have been to watch that in 1984, with the shadow of the mushroom cloud still very much looming overhead. The film was responsible for almost single-handedly turning the British public off the very idea of trying to "win" a nuclear war.

[Neil]

LOL! I loved the part where the President's dooms day plane took off without him. * pictures president running down runway after it * - - - Updated - - - A great film. It terrifies me to watch it now, I can't imagine how pants-shittingly horrendous it must have been to watch that in 1984, with the shadow of the mushroom cloud still very much looming overhead. The film was responsible for almost single-handedly turning the British public off the very idea of trying to "win" a nuclear war. I was old enough to watch it, and it scared the **** out of me...

[MoonSylver]

I remember that feeling of dread in the 80s where you felt any moment... TBH ever since then, I've felt that way. Not necessarily nukes anymore, but honestly? Our days are numbered. Disease? Super volcano? Astroid? Other? There are a number of extinction level events that are depressingly statistically probable, some of which we're even long overdue for. Only a matter of time. We're fucked. Have a nice day!

[wayzim]

TBH ever since then, I've felt that way. Not necessarily nukes anymore, but honestly? Our days are numbered. Disease? Super volcano? Astroid? Other? There are a number of extinction level events that are depressingly statistically probable, some of which we're even long overdue for. Only a matter of time. We're fucked. Have a nice day! I think it's because the nature of the game has changed, that it's not superpowers jockeying to be the kid with the largest stockpile anymore. The USSR doesn't exist and China would rather bitchslap us economically. Nope, it's these punks like Iran scrambling for some firecrackers of thier own or some terrorist gang thinking exploding a little nuclear device somewhere makes them scary (more likely it would lead to their own extinction - because we bigger kids would need no further excuse to wipe the floor with them. ) The other stuff makes for fun fiction, but the If and When of them are so broad within a human time frame, it boils down to getting A Heads Up early enough to ride it out or kiss our asses goodbye. Wayne Z