How a Solar Flare Almost Triggered a Nuclear War in 1967

(via Popular Mechanics) The year was 1967, the middle of the Cold War. America and Russia were locked in a staring contest from opposite sides of the world, each daring the other to blink. Nuclear missiles were armed and ready to fire at a moment’s notice. In the U.S., the military was constantly on high alert, waiting for the Soviets to launch some sort of surprise invasion or preemptive strike.  Finally, on May 23, that moment came.