Throughout history, humans have faced several close calls that could have ended life as we know it. These critical moments tested our survival skills and changed how we think about safety and preparation. While most people only know about recent events, our civilization has actually stood at the edge of disaster multiple times, with each incident teaching important lessons about human vulnerability.
Looking back at these near-misses shows just how close humanity came to extinction or severe devastation. These 11 moments reveal not only how fragile our existence can be, but also how quick thinking, luck, and human resilience helped prevent total disaster.
Cuban Missile Crisis – 1962
The world nearly witnessed nuclear war when Soviet missiles were discovered in Cuba, just 90 miles from U.S. shores. For thirteen intense days, American and Soviet leaders stood ready to launch their nuclear weapons, which would have destroyed major cities and killed millions of people. A Soviet submarine commander almost fired a nuclear torpedo when his submarine was cornered by U.S. ships, but one officer refused to agree to the launch. Only last-minute negotiations between President Kennedy and Soviet leader Khrushchev prevented what could have been the end of modern civilization.
The 1983 Soviet Nuclear False Alarm
Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov faced a terrifying alert from his early warning system showing five U.S. nuclear missiles heading toward the Soviet Union. The standard procedure required him to report the attack, which would have triggered an immediate nuclear response from the Soviets. Petrov decided to trust his gut feeling that the warning system was malfunctioning, as five missiles seemed too few for a real attack. His correct decision prevented a nuclear war based on what turned out to be sunlight reflecting off clouds that confused the satellite sensors.
Solar Storm of 1859 (Carrington Event)
The most powerful solar storm in recorded history hit Earth in 1859, causing telegraph systems worldwide to fail and even shocking some operators. The same storm today would destroy most electronics, satellites, and power grids across the planet, potentially sending civilization back to the pre-industrial age. Recovery from such widespread infrastructure damage would take years or even decades, leading to massive food shortages and economic collapse. Recent studies show that we narrowly missed a similar-sized solar storm in 2012, which would have caused up to $2 trillion in damage.
Black Death’s Near Victory – 1347
The Black Death almost succeeded in ending European civilization by killing an estimated 60% of Europe’s population in just a few years. The massive death toll destroyed the feudal system, changed religious power structures, and left many cities completely abandoned. The disease spread so quickly that entire communities disappeared, and survivors often had to burn whole villages to contain the outbreak. Modern analysis shows that if the death rate had been slightly higher, human population numbers might have dropped too low to recover.
World War I Spanish Flu – 1918
A devastating flu pandemic infected about one-third of the world’s population and killed up to 100 million people during the final months of World War I. The virus hit young, healthy adults hardest, wiping out entire families and leaving countless children orphaned. Many communities lost so many people that basic services like food delivery and waste collection completely stopped. The virus almost mutated into an even deadlier form that could have killed most of humanity, but it weakened just in time.
Chicxulub Asteroid Near Miss – 2014
An asteroid large enough to destroy a continent passed between Earth and the Moon, missing our planet by only a few cosmic inches. Scientists discovered this massive space rock, known as 2014 JO25, just a short time before its closest approach. Similar-sized impacts have caused mass extinctions in Earth’s past, including the event that killed the dinosaurs. Modern calculations show that if this asteroid had hit Earth, it would have created a crater 50 miles wide and triggered years of global winter.
Toba Supervolcano Eruption – 74,000 BCE
The massive Toba volcano eruption in modern-day Indonesia nearly ended human existence by causing a global winter that lasted six to ten years. The eruption reduced the human population to possibly as few as 3,000 people, creating a genetic bottleneck still visible in our DNA today. Scientific evidence shows that temperatures dropped by up to 15 degrees Celsius globally, killing most plants and animals. The surviving humans had to develop new hunting and survival techniques, leading to major advances in tool-making and social cooperation.
The Great Ozone Depletion – 1980s
Scientists discovered a massive hole in Earth’s protective ozone layer that was growing at an alarming rate due to chemical pollutants. Without the ozone layer, deadly ultraviolet radiation would have made the Earth’s surface uninhabitable for most life forms. The damage was spreading faster than expected, threatening to destroy food crops and cause widespread skin cancer. Quick international cooperation banned the harmful chemicals just in time, though the ozone layer is still recovering today.
Y2K Computer Crisis – 1999
The world’s computing systems faced a massive breakdown as the year 2000 approached because older computers couldn’t process the date change. Banking systems, power grids, and military defense networks were all at risk of failing simultaneously. The potential domino effect could have triggered nuclear plant meltdowns, released missiles, and crashed global financial markets. Thousands of computer experts worked frantically to fix millions of systems before the deadline, barely preventing a technological catastrophe.
The Amazon Rainforest Tipping Point – 1970s
The Amazon rainforest almost reached a point of no return when deforestation threatened to change the entire planet’s weather patterns. Scientists discovered that the forest creates its own rainfall, and losing too many trees would turn the whole region into a desert. This change would have released massive amounts of carbon dioxide, accelerating global climate disasters. The forest came dangerously close to this tipping point before international attention helped slow the destruction.
The Permian Extinction’s Near Repeat
Earth almost faced a repeat of history’s worst extinction event when ocean oxygen levels dropped dangerously low in the 1970s. Scientists discovered that pollution and warming were creating conditions similar to those that killed 95% of life during the Permian extinction. Ocean “dead zones” began expanding at an alarming rate, threatening to release toxic hydrogen sulfide gas into the atmosphere. International efforts to reduce pollution helped prevent these conditions from spreading further.
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