Why October 27th, 1962, Was The Most Dangerous Day In History

How close were we to complete annihilation?

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October 27th, 1962, was likely the most dangerous day in world history. Taking place at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, that fateful day saw an almost comical number of close calls and unbelievable events that left the world closer to nuclear war than it ever had been before or has ever been since. By the end of the day, there were few in Moscow or Washington who didn’t believe that nuclear war was inevitable.

From thousands of miles (and multiple hours) apart, both President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev pondered and sweated over the obscure details and navigated a series of decisions that could lead to a total wipeout of humanity.

So why was October 27th, 1962, so dangerous? What happened that brought the world so close to nuclear annihilation?

U-2 Disaster(s)

(Public domain)

There were two incidents involving U-2 spy planes that both occurred hours apart on October 27th, 1962. First, Captain Charles Maultsby was piloting a U-2 plane over the North Pole in search of…