The Terrifying Domino Effect We All Avoided

Okay, so if that torpedo had been fired, it would have instantly vaporized an American

aircraft carrier. The U.S. response would have been automatic and just massive.

Within 13 minutes, a full-scale retaliatory nuclear strike would have been launched at the Soviet Union.

Within an hour, major world capitals, places like Washington and Moscow, would have just

ceased to exist. That initial exchange of missiles would have killed hundreds of millions of people

in a matter of hours, and believe it or not, that would have only been the beginning.

Yeah, the aftermath would have been so much worse. All the soot and

dust kicked up into the atmosphere would have triggered what's called a nuclear winter,