Unbeknownst to us at the time, the three-year stretch from 1983 to 1986 may have been among the most dangerous years in human history.

Cold War tension looked to be at its peak, but how close did the world actually come to nuclear war? It may have been a lot closer than we realized...

With the Cold War reaching a fever pitch, along came a TV movie that terrified millions -- including President Ronald Reagan. 

All of this was going to set up a famous showdown in October 1986: a face-to-face summit between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev.

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