FACTArchive →
One switch stopped North Carolina from being erased. ☢️
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone WrongAug 01, 2026

One switch stopped North Carolina from being erased. ☢️

One switch stopped North Carolina from being erased. ☢️ . . . On January 24, 1961, a B-52 disintegrated over Goldsboro and dropped two 3.8-megaton hydrogen bombs onto a tobacco field. One armed itself through five of six stages. A single low-voltage safety switch held. Declassified in 2013: the bomb was 260 times Hiroshima. Fragments of its uranium core are still buried in the field.

See it on Facebook →← All facts
Source

The Guardian, 2013, 'US nearly detonated atomic bomb over North Carolina – secret document', Eric Schlosser reporting on declassified Sandia Labs document

Share → X Reddit WhatsApp Threads Facebook
Spot an error? Email hello@thefact5.com with a source — we correct visibly.
KEEP SCROLLING

More strange facts ✦

One missing filter helped kill at least 68 people. ☣️
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
One missing filter helped kill at least 68 people. ☣️
On September 15, 1830, MP William Huskisson became one of the first widely reported railway fatalities when he was struck by Stephenson's Rocket at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, dying that evening after his leg was crushed.
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
On September 15, 1830, MP William Huskisson became one of the first widely reported railway fatalities when he was struck by Stephenson's Rocket at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, dying that evening after his leg was crushed.
One dam unleashed 12.4 billion gallons before midnight. 🌊
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
One dam unleashed 12.4 billion gallons before midnight. 🌊
A 42-mph wind made this bridge tear itself apart. 🌉
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
A 42-mph wind made this bridge tear itself apart. 🌉
Prairie dogs have a complex language with specific 'words' for different predators and can even describe the size, shape, and color of approaching humans.
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
Prairie dogs have a complex language with specific 'words' for different predators and can even describe the size, shape, and color of approaching humans.
The man who wrote 'Streetcar' died by eye-drop cap. 🎭
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
The man who wrote 'Streetcar' died by eye-drop cap. 🎭
On July 28, 2026, a Chinese robotaxi hit London streets for the first time — Baidu's Apollo Go began road tests in the borough of Brent, partnered with Freenow by Lyft.
FACT
@fact5
Current World
On July 28, 2026, a Chinese robotaxi hit London streets for the first time — Baidu's Apollo Go began road tests in the borough of Brent, partnered with Freenow by Lyft.
Wombats produce cube-shaped poop and scientists discovered they achieve this by having square-shaped intestines that compress waste into cubes.
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
Wombats produce cube-shaped poop and scientists discovered they achieve this by having square-shaped intestines that compress waste into cubes.
In 2009, a Japanese man married his Nintendo DS character girlfriend in a $600 ceremony with 40 guests
FACT
@fact5
Bizarre Human Behavior
In 2009, a Japanese man married his Nintendo DS character girlfriend in a $600 ceremony with 40 guests
The Unfreezing Element
FACT
@fact5
Science
The Unfreezing Element
The fastest recorded sneeze travels at 100 mph and can spread droplets up to 26 feet away from the sneezer
FACT
@fact5
Unbelievable Records
The fastest recorded sneeze travels at 100 mph and can spread droplets up to 26 feet away from the sneezer
A 6-year-old boy in Texas raised $22,000 by walking 30 miles to help his local food bank during COVID-19
FACT
@fact5
Heartwarming Humanity
A 6-year-old boy in Texas raised $22,000 by walking 30 miles to help his local food bank during COVID-19
🎲 Surprise me with another