The Nuclear Test No One Claimed

On 22nd September 1979, an American Vela satellite detected something terrifying: a nuclear explosion in the remote ocean between Africa and Antarctica. The tell-tale “double flash” — a signature only nuclear blasts give off — had been caught. But nobody had a clue who did it. Or rather, nobody would admit it.

France was ruled out — they had no reason to test there. But South Africa? Well, they had the motive. They’d been caught preparing a test before and were locked in a Cold War–esque conflict with Angola, with Cuban troops breathing down their necks. But then there’s Israel — a secretive nuclear power that’s never officially admitted it has nukes. And oh look, they had a cosy (and clandestine) alliance with South Africa.

The test site? Suspiciously close to South African islands. Naval bases closed. Rescue teams on alert. Declassified documents later showed both nations were in nuclear bed together. A Soviet spy even claimed the test was real and codenamed Operation Phoenix.

Yet, instead of naming names, the U.S. assembled a panel… not to find out who did it, but to prove it might not have happened at all. Convenient, isn’t it?

Was it a rogue meteorite? Or a quiet, illegal nuclear test that governments would rather we all forget? Whatever the case, the mystery remains officially unresolved. Because sometimes, in geopolitics, the golden rule is: don’t grass on your mates.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzWrlV1r7K4