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When 2 Nuclear Bombs Fell On North Carolina
In 1961, an accident in the air led to two powerful atomic bombs falling on a small American city and nearly detonating
At what turned out to be the final days of World War II in 1945, nuclear bombs were dropped and detonated in Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To date, those remain the only non-testing use of these massive weapons. However, something similar nearly occurred in 1961, when two nuclear bombs accidentally fell on a North Carolina city.
Goldsboro, located in Wayne County, North Carolina, is a typical city of around 33,000 residents today in the middle of the State. Due to a terrifying accident, the entire community was nearly wiped off the face of the earth 60 years ago.
On the night of January 24, 1961, a B-52 aircraft was travelling in the vicinity when it broke up in mid-air after a failed mid-air refueling exercise. Unfortunately, it was carrying two Mark 39 nuclear bombs, which were estimated to be 200–300 times more powerful than those used in Japan. They came loose and fell to the unsuspecting Goldsboro below.
Command pilot Walter Scott Tulloch ordered his crew to eject at 9,000 feet. Five did so and landed safely, while another crew member ejected but died on impact. Another two…
