The Cold War period was amongst the most nerve-wracking times in human civilization. Nuclear conflict was constantly on everyone’s mind, leading to a sustained atmosphere of mutual suspicion. Dating from the conclusion of the Second World War to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Cold War timeframe was coloured by numerous smaller, yet severe “hot” conflicts such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Interestingly, the Cold War, while recognized as one of the most destructive epochs, also emerged as one of the most constructive eras across human history. The intense rivalry between the two sides spurred actions like the Space Race, resulting in the historic moon landings. The conflict also spearheaded several scientific breakthroughs. Even though the Cold War wasn’t always “hot” in the conventional sense of artillery being used, the widespread smaller conflicts that it spurred were indeed extremely “hot”, causing significant loss of life. That said, this list is set to explore the unusually bizarre and lesser-known facets of this war, including blunders, errors, and peculiar trivia. We present to you the top 25 most entertaining incidents that transpired during the Cold War.
Image courtesy of Foto011 / Shutterstock.com
The US and the USSR were initially going to go into space together but after President Kennedy was assassinated, the Soviets didn't trust Vice President Johnson
The USSR thought that the building in the center of the Pentagon was a top secret meeting room so they pointed their nukes at it. It was actually a hot dog stand.
During the Cold War, the Soviets could tell if a passport was fake because the staples in real passports would corrode due to the low quality metal
The United States used bears to test the ejector seats of their jets
George Orwell was the first person to use the term "Cold War"
Originally, the term 3rd world country did not mean a poor nation. It simply meant any country not aligned with either the US or the USSR
On that note, countries aligned with the US were considered first world, and countries aligned with the USSR were considered 2nd world
The US had made plans to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon to show off military might. It was never implemented.
Canada forcibly relocated many Inuit into the northern parts of the country in order to affirm its sovereignty in the Arctic
It was the Soviets, however, who had the best cartographers. Their maps of the Arctic were so detailed that they are still in use today
Operation Kitty was a real operation undertaken by the CIA to equip cats with spy equipment. The first mission failed, however, when the cat was run over. Not surprising the $15 million operation was subsequently dropped
If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy these 25 facts about guns and getting shot.