The Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis

How close was this nuclear threat? often asked. And it's most frequently referred to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. The reason why people think it came very close to nuclear war was for a number of reasons. Some obvious at the time, some much clearer now with the benefit of hindsight. If one side had misperceived what the other was up to, could it have led to miscalculation that would have lead to war? That was arguably the closest we've ever come - but there were other episodes as well.