1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Welcome Back everyone. I'm Eves and you're listening 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: to This Day in History Class, a show where we 4 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: peel back a new layer of history every day. Today 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: is February. The day was February nine. The U. S. 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,680 Speaker 1: Air Force lost a nuclear bomb in the waters near 7 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: Tybee Island off the coast of Georgia. Tho fake news 8 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 1: stories claiming that the bomb had been found have emerged. 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: The bomb is considered lost. That day, a B forty 10 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: seven bomber under the command of Major Howard Richardson was 11 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: flying a simulated combat mission from Homestead Air Force Base 12 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: in Florida. The plane was carrying a Mark fifteen thermonuclear 13 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,000 Speaker 1: bomb that weighed more than seven thousand pounds. To make 14 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: the simulation more realistic, the bomb contained four hundred pounds 15 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:06,479 Speaker 1: of high explosives as well as enriched uranium and other 16 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: nuclear material. The bomb may have had a plutonium nuclear core, 17 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: or it may have had a demi core installed. If 18 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: it did have its nuclear capsule, an explosion could cause 19 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: serious damage an injury for miles. Early that morning, before sunrise, 20 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: and F eighty six fighter jet out of Charleston accidentally 21 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: collided with Richardson's B forty seven. The fighter jets pilot 22 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Clearance Stewart did not see the bomber on his radar. 23 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,480 Speaker 1: The left wing ripped off of the F eighty six 24 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: and the B forty seven's fuel tanks were badly damaged. 25 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,520 Speaker 1: Stewart ejected from the fighter and landed in the Savannah 26 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,240 Speaker 1: River swamp. Though he survived the landing, he was severely 27 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: frost bitten. The F eighty six landed in a field 28 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: in Georgia. As Richardson attempted to regain control of the 29 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: B forty seven. He requested an emergency land ending at 30 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: Hunter Air Force Base in Savannah, but the runway was 31 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: under repair. Richardson did not want the bomb to break 32 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: loose on an emergency landing, and he wanted the crew 33 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: to survive, so he decided to let go of the 34 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 1: bomb over the ocean before landing at Hunter. There was 35 00:02:17,360 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: no explosion when the bomb entered the ocean just off 36 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,960 Speaker 1: Tybee Island, and they landed safely at Hunter. For his efforts, 37 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:28,519 Speaker 1: Richardson got the Distinguished Flying Cross, a decoration awarded to 38 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: officers when they show heroism or extraordinary achievement during flight. 39 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: The Navy searched for the lost bomb for two months 40 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 1: but could not find it. Officials believe it's buried under 41 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:43,640 Speaker 1: silk at west All Sound, a bay off Tybee. In 42 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: a letter the Assistant Secretary of Defense wrote to a 43 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: congressional committee in nineteen sixty six, the Tybee bomb was 44 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: identified as a quote complete weapon, but the Air Force 45 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: maintained that the bomb did not have a nuclear capsule 46 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: and is not considered dangerous. It also said that starting 47 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: a search for the bomb would have unwanted effects on 48 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: the environment and could be risky considering the explosives in 49 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: the bomb. They suggested that it's best left undisturbed. I'm 50 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:15,200 Speaker 1: Eve Jeff Coo and hopefully you know a little more 51 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. Keep up with 52 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at t d I 53 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,960 Speaker 1: h C Podcast, or you can go the old fashioned 54 00:03:27,040 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: route and send us an email at this Day at 55 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: I heeart Media dot com. We're here every day, so 56 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:39,920 Speaker 1: you know where to find us. Bye. For more podcasts 57 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 58 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.