{"id":12964,"date":"2016-03-12T05:51:29","date_gmt":"2016-03-12T11:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hcstx.org\/?p=12964"},"modified":"2016-03-12T05:51:29","modified_gmt":"2016-03-12T11:51:29","slug":"cold-war-files-10-bizarre-cold-war-tales-they-left-out-of-the-history-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetacticalhermit.com\/index.php\/2016\/03\/12\/cold-war-files-10-bizarre-cold-war-tales-they-left-out-of-the-history-books\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold War Files: 10 Bizarre Cold War Tales They Left Out of the History Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although we already know a bit about the famous affairs that happened during the Cold War, that particular era spanned more than four decades\u2014enough time for a lot of wackiness. Aside from learning about the slew of\u00a0ridiculous government projects,<\/a> let\u2019s also get to know some of the other little-known, extremely strange events which took place in that period.<\/p>\n

10. North Korea And The US Almost Went To War Over A Tree<\/h2>\n

\"tree\"<\/p>\n

This one arguably ranks somewhere among the most bizarre reasons to start a war<\/a>. Known as the Poplar Tree Incident, the whole fiasco started on August 17, 1976. American soldiers tried to trim a huge poplar tree that had been obscuring visibility in the middle of the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone. Previously, the North Koreans had refused to allow the men to trim the tree. Now, they murdered two of the Americans and injured another nine.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath, the US debated whether to strike back. Instead, they decided to cut down the tree while showcasing an overwhelming display of force against the North. On August 21, and in full view of their North Korean counterparts on the other side, a convoy of American and South Korean soldier-engineers drove up to the middle of the DMZ and cut the tree down. Dozens of helicopters and assorted aircraft also flew overhead as a deterrent to the hapless North Koreans who could only watch the event unfold.<\/p>\n

While the incident triggered fears of a war, it instead led to North Korean President Kim Il-Sung conveying a message of \u201cregret\u201d<\/a> to the families of those killed\u2014a rare statement at the time.<\/p>\n

9. The US Created A Ring Of Copper Around The Earth<\/h2>\n

\"copper\"<\/p>\n

At one point the Earth had its own man-made ring of metal\u2014thanks to the approximately 500 million copper needles<\/a> the US launched into space in 1963.<\/p>\n

Known as Project West Ford, the operation resolved to cure a major American weakness against a perceived Soviet attack on its undersea cables, which would have disrupted its long-range communications system. To prevent this, the Americans looked to the ionosphere, which was beyond the reach of the Soviets but still at the mercy of unpredictable solar storms. Then sometime in 1958, Walter E. Morrow\u2014a scientist from MIT\u2019s Lincoln Labs in Boston\u2014suggested placing a copper ring around the Earth, which would be immune to both Soviet attacks and solar disruptions.<\/p>\n

After a first attempt failed in 1961, the US finally launched the copper needles in 1963 and also successfully tested it out. While most of the needles have since fallen back to Earth, it is estimated that thousands of clumped ones are still in orbit today.<\/p>\n

8. The US Air Force Used Bears As Test Pilots<\/h2>\n