During the Cold War, D.C. was ringed by Nike missile sites. One had an accident.
April 14, 1955, was a good day to not be driving on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. It was also a good day to not be manning the U.S. Army’s Nike missile site at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County, Md.
At around 12:35 p.m. on that Thursday, one of the 22-foot-tall antiaircraft missiles was accidentally launched from Fort Meade. It traveled three miles before exploding above the parkway, showering the pavement with debris.
“Luckily, no cars were moving along the section of the parkway a half-mile south of the Laurel-Fort Meade overpass when the fragments of the guided missile splattered down,” wrote The Post.
The only injury was to Sgt. Stanley C. Kozak, who was standing near the missile when it took off. He suffered minor burns.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nike-missile-silos-washington/2021/10/16/b0068528-2dda-11ec-985d-3150f7e106b2_story.html
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