'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile

In 1974, Lt. Colonel Randall Lanning manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He looks back at one night that's still etched in his memory.

Why This Matters

In 1974, Lt. Colonel Randall Lanning manned the launch controls that could deploy nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack. He looks back at one night that's still etched in his memory. The story is categorized under Other with a neutral tone (score 0.06).

In Week 8 2026, Other accounted for 128 related article(s), with UK Politics setting the broader headline context. Coverage of Other decreased by 60 article(s) versus the prior week, but remained material in the weekly agenda.

Coverage Snapshot

Week 8 2026 included 128 Other article(s). Leading outlets for this topic included BBC, NY Times, Independent. Across that cluster, sentiment showed a mostly neutral skew (avg score 0.01).

Key Insights

Primary keywords: night, nuclear, launched, controls, recalls.
Topic focus: Other coverage with neutral sentiment.
Source context: reported by NPR.
Published: 2026-02-20.
Published by NPR, a widely cited major outlet.
Date context: published during Week 8 2026, when UK Politics dominated weekly headlines.

Tone & Sentiment

The article tone is classified as neutral, driven by the language and emphasis in the summary. The sentiment score of 0.06 indicates the strength of that tone.

Context

This piece fits within the broader Other narrative, connecting current events to ongoing developments. Readers tracking Other trends can use this article as a concise signal of what is shaping coverage right now.

Related Topics

Other

Key Takeaway

In short, this article underscores key movement in Other and explains why it matters now.

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NPR 'We were scared': Man recalls the night he nearly launched a nuclear missile