Please note this does not mean the USSR wasn’t that way. Just want to clarify I’m not a tankie, lol.
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2026
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It would really only be comparable if they nuked north Carolina then tried to cover it up.
It’s not shocking that the military keeps classified that sort of thing, they’d have been hard pressed to keep an actual nuclear detonation classified/hidden 🤷♂️
A near miss and a disaster are worlds apart in terms of consequence, but very close in terms of what went wrong.
Tbh the bomb exploding would be worse because you’d have the kinetic blast and death from that PLUS fallout (though on the east coast that fallout would likely be headed to Europe)
They didn’t drop the bombs by accident, there was a plane crash, the plane broke apart and the bombs began arming themselves as part of the separation process, but didn’t detonate due to the failsafes.
To be clear the failsafes barely did.
Of the steps in this diagram the only one that prevented a nuclear detonation of the first bomb was the arming switch. In the swiss cheese model of accidents, out of 17 layers of protection, 16 failed. The safety mechanism that succeeded in this case had a history of failing because nuts in the plane could fall down and short the switch, arming the bomb unintentionally in flight.
The pilots who bailed out were both arrested by base MPs for 'stealing parachutes' while trying to get to the base and warn about the unsafe condition of the crash site. It probably didn't help that the first pilot to make it to base was black in NC in the 60s.
Making a mistake with something intended to kill people vs making a mistake with something that provides a public good show different levels of intent. One of them was a city destroyer on purpose and the other was a city destroyer on accident.
There was a plane crash. It wasn’t some “whoops we dropped ze bombs” situation.
There were catastrophic failures but still failsafes prevented the disaster.
These events aren’t comparable at all.
Three mile island is much more comparable.
Um, there were actually several instances of "woops we dropped a bomb".
Until the invention of the ICBM, there were planes carrying nukes in the air 24/7.
It's only thanks to luck that none of them exploded, as the safety systems in place today were not added until the 60s when Kennedy learned how American nukes were being handled and freaked the fuck out about it all. Justifiably so.
The Air Force had been in charge before that and fought relentlessly against adding any safety systems at all.
Ok. But not this instance … which is my point.
laughs in three mile island.
Three Mile Island is a perfect comparison.
Partial meltdown. Not hidden. Handled.
Reported to emergency officials effectively immediately.
It wasn't handled perfectly, but the level of incompetence wasn't nearly on the same level. Venting the Xenon and dumping the tritium water wasn't exactly advised without approval but people acted on their own to do them. By far the biggest mistake was the comment from the power company spokesperson that he doesn't need to tell the public everything they do.
Yeah, but the government came behind and made it happen.
Three Mile Island should be held up as a “why we need regulation and government oversight” example IMO.
The business wanted to save face, they were obligated to be more forthcoming by the state.
*not hidden
Yeah they also might have found Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster in the reactor but they could be hiding that too.
my point is that I’m not all about knowing “the other side” covers shit up and then assuming “my side” is telling the truth.
they all lie. about literally everything.
It’s actually asserting without evidence to back up the claim
do you need evidence to show that the US lies?
Do you need evidence when people make claims that fit your world view or do you just accept them because they feel good?
I have evidence the US has lied to the public. I’m asking you if you need it.
This comment chain is evidence of diminished intelligence or a deliberate effort to twist things.
I’m not gonna engage with your bad faith arguing.
Gulf of Tonkin. It’s a lie. The US covered it up. Yadda yadda. it tracks with what the og post was about. All nations do this. have a good day.