This week marks 79 years since the U.S. dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
While those missions went as planned, the same cannot be said for several other incidents where the U.S. military lost nuclear weapons.
First Incident in 1950
In military parlance, the term "broken arrow" is used to describe an accident involving nuclear weapons that doesn't lead to nuclear war, according to Tech. Over the past century, the U.S. has reported numerous "broken arrows," some of which remain unresolved to this day.
The first recorded incident occurred in 1950 when a B-36 bomber, carrying a Mark 4 nuclear bomb, encountered engine failure over Canada. The crew jettisoned the bomb, which detonated conventionally, as it lacked its plutonium core.
Another mysterious case took place in 1956 when a B-47 bomber vanished over the Mediterranean while carrying two nuclear bombs. Despite extensive searches, the plane and its cargo were never found.
One Remains Missing
In 1958, a B-47 collided with a fighter jet over the Atlantic, forcing the crew to drop a nuclear bomb into the ocean. The weapon was never recovered.
One of the most alarming incidents occurred in 1961 when a B-52 bomber broke apart over North Carolina, releasing two nuclear bombs. One was safely recovered, but the other remains missing.
These incidents, along with others like the 1965 loss of a nuclear-armed A-4E Skyhawk off the coast of Japan, highlight the dangers and mysteries surrounding the U.S. military's handling of nuclear weapons.
