
Nuking the Moon
And Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots Left on the Drawing Board
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Narrated by:
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Vince Houghton
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By:
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Vince Houghton
About this listen
The International Spy Museum's Historian takes us on a wild tour of missions and schemes that almost happened, but were ultimately deemed too dangerous, expensive, ahead of their time, or even certifiably insane.
"Compulsively readable laugh out loud history." (Mary Roach, New York Times best-selling author of Grunt and Stiff)
In 1958, the US Air Force nuked the moon as a show of military force. In 1967, the CIA sent live cats to spy on the Soviet government. In 1942, the British built a torpedo-proof aircraft carrier out of an iceberg. Of course, none of these things ever actually happened. But in Nuking the Moon, intelligence historian Vince Houghton proves that abandoned plans can be just as illuminating - and every bit as entertaining - as the ones that made it.
Vividly capturing the fascinating stories of how 21 plans from WWII and the Cold War went from conception, planning, and testing to cancellation, Houghton explores what happens when innovation meets desperation: For every plan as good as D-Day, there's a scheme to strap bombs to bats or dig a spy tunnel underneath the Soviet embassy. Along the way, he reveals what each one tells us about 20th-century history, the art of spycraft, military strategy, and famous figures like JFK, Castro, and Churchill. By turns terrifying and hilarious - but always riveting - this is the unique story of history left on the drawing board.
©2019 Vince Houghton (P)2019 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Alternately terrifying and hilarious, this book leaves the reader wondering what bizarre schemes are in the works in today’s top-secret corridors of power." (Publishers Weekly)
"Nuking the Moon is the most fun I've ever had reading about the human capacity for self-destruction. This book begins with that one time the CIA turned cats into covert listening devices, then somehow gets more amazing. With the eye of a storyteller and the knowledge of a historian, Vince Houghton explores the surprising logic behind some of the military's worst ideas." (Jason Fagone, best-selling author of The Woman Who Smashed Codes)
"No one is better qualified to uncover America’s most hapless spy programs than Vince Houghton, and I had an atomic-sized blast reading this book about exploding Mexican free-tail bats, nuclear mines heated by live chickens, and the many extremely dumb ways we tried to kill Castro. Never has the word 'intelligence' seemed like more of a misnomer." (Josh Dean, author of The Taking of K-129)
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- How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional
- By: Agustín Fuentes
- Narrated by: Agustín Fuentes
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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In the tradition of Jared Diamond's million-copy-selling classic Guns, Germs, and Steel, a bold new synthesis of paleontology, archaeology, genetics, and anthropology that overturns misconceptions about race, war and peace, and human nature itself, answering an age-old question: What made humans so exceptional among all the species on Earth? Creativity. It is the secret of what makes humans special, hiding in plain sight.
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What's new?
- By Mark on 05-02-17
By: Agustín Fuentes
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Lapidarium
- The Secret Lives of Stones
- By: Hettie Judah
- Narrated by: Nina Wadia
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Stones have furnished our earliest technologies and our first art materials. As jewelry and talismans, they have accompanied us in our journeys into the afterlife. We have carried stones over vast distances, erecting temples with them where we gathered to worship our gods. The earliest scientists ground and processed minerals in a centuries-long quest for a mythic stone that would prolong human life. Michelangelo climbed mountains in Tuscany searching for the sugar-white marble that would yield his sculptures.
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Lovely Bite-Sized Stories
- By Anonymous User on 07-20-23
By: Hettie Judah
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The Book of Not Knowing
- Exploring the True Nature of Self, Mind, and Consciousness
- By: Peter Ralston, Laura Ralston - editor
- Narrated by: Keith O'Brien
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Through decades of martial arts and meditation practice, Peter Ralston discovered a curious and paradoxical fact: that true awareness arises from a state of not knowing. Even the most sincere investigation of self and spirit, he says, is often sabotaged by our tendency to grab too quickly for answers and ideas as we retreat to the safety of the known.
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Painful
- By MJ on 05-09-19
By: Peter Ralston, and others
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The Crash Detectives
- Investigating the World's Most Mysterious Air Disasters
- By: Christine Negroni
- Narrated by: Christine Negroni
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Crash Detectives, veteran aviation journalist and air safety investigator Christine Negroni takes us inside crash investigations from the early days of the jet age to the present, including the search for answers about what happened to the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. As Negroni dissects what happened and why, she explores their common themes and, most important, what has been learned from them to make planes safer.
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MISSLEADING TITLE.
- By Daniel Schneider on 11-02-16
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Our Moon
- How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
- By: Rebecca Boyle
- Narrated by: Rebecca Lowman
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Many of us know that the Moon pulls on our oceans, driving the tides, but did you know that it smells like gunpowder? Or that it was essential to the development of science and religion? Acclaimed journalist Rebecca Boyle takes listeners on a dazzling tour to reveal the intimate role that our 4.51-billion-year-old companion has played in our biological and cultural evolution.
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Interesting but with annoyances
- By J. Pegg on 04-13-24
By: Rebecca Boyle
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The Unidentified
- Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained
- By: Colin Dickey
- Narrated by: Will Damron
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational - in fringe - is on the rise: from Atlantis to aliens, from Flat Earth to the Loch Ness monster, the list goes on. It seems the more our maps of the known world get filled in, the more we crave mysterious locations full of strange creatures. Enter Colin Dickey, cultural historian and tour guide of the weird.
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Skeptic's Analysis of Weird America
- By Adrian on 11-23-20
By: Colin Dickey
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The Rising
- The Twenty-Year Battle to Rebuild the World Trade Center
- By: Larry Silverstein
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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After the terrorist attacks of 9/11 destroyed the World Trade Center, New Yorkers and Americans faced a critical set of questions: What should be done with the site? Could the towers be replaced? And how best to memorialize those lost on that day? For Larry Silverstein, a lifelong New Yorker who had signed a lease for the properties just a few months before the attacks, the answer was clear: America had to rebuild as quickly as possible.
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Starts great before it morphs quickly into Larry Silverstein paying homage to himself
- By Xj517 on 10-11-24
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Superior
- The Return of Race Science
- By: Angela Saini
- Narrated by: Hannah Melbourn
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Superior tells the disturbing story of the persistent thread of belief in biological racial differences in the world of science. If the vast majority of scientists and scholars disavowed these ideas and considered race a social construct, it was an idea that still managed to somehow survive in the way scientists thought about human variation and genetics. Dissecting the statements and work of contemporary scientists studying human biodiversity, Angela Saini shows us how, again and again, even mainstream scientists cling to the idea that race is biologically real.
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Lots of great info, underwhelming narrative
- By Amazon Customer on 04-08-21
By: Angela Saini
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Ravenous
- Otto Warburg, the Nazis, and the Search for the Cancer-Diet Connection
- By: Sam Apple
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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The Nobel laureate Otto Warburg was widely regarded in his day as one of the most important biochemists of the 20th century, a man whose research was integral to humanity’s understanding of cancer. He was also among the most despised figures in Nazi Germany. As a Jewish homosexual living openly with his male partner, Warburg represented all that the Third Reich abhorred. Yet Hitler and his top advisors dreaded cancer, and protected Warburg in the hope that he could cure it.
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Highly recommended, a must read.
- By Joerg on 06-10-21
By: Sam Apple
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Fantasy Island
- Colonialism, Exploitation, and the Betrayal of Puerto Rico
- By: Ed Morales
- Narrated by: Sean Duffy
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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In Fantasy Island, Ed Morales traces how, over the years, Puerto Rico has served as a colonial satellite, a Cold War Caribbean showcase, a dumping ground for US manufactured goods, and a corporate tax shelter. He also shows how it has become a blank canvas for mercenary experiments in disaster capitalism on the frontlines of climate change, hamstrung by internal political corruption and the US federal government's prioritization of outside financial interests.
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Gringo Narrattion
- By shakira julia on 02-08-21
By: Ed Morales
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Enemy of All Mankind
- A True Story of Piracy, Power, and History's First Global Manhunt
- By: Steven Johnson
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Henry Every was the 17th century’s most notorious pirate. The press published wildly popular - and wildly inaccurate - reports of his nefarious adventures. The British government offered enormous bounties for his capture, alive or (preferably) dead. But Steven Johnson argues that Every’s most lasting legacy was his inadvertent triggering of a major shift in the global economy. Enemy of All Mankind focuses on one key event - the attack on an Indian treasure ship by Every and his crew - and its surprising repercussions across time and space.
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Slow
- By Gary V Howell on 06-07-20
By: Steven Johnson
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The Glass Universe
- How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars
- By: Dava Sobel
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Number-one New York Times best-selling author Dava Sobel returns with the captivating, little-known true story of a group of women whose remarkable contributions to the burgeoning field of astronomy forever changed our understanding of the stars and our place in the universe.
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But the seeing, which was everything, was better
- By Cynthia on 01-07-17
By: Dava Sobel
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The Urge
- Our History of Addiction
- By: Carl Erik Fisher
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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As a psychiatrist in training fresh from medical school, Carl Erik Fisher found himself face-to-face with an addiction crisis that nearly cost him everything. Desperate to make sense of his condition, he turned to the history of addiction, learning that our society’s current quagmire is only part of a centuries-old struggle to treat addictive behavior.
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Nailed it
- By Paully on 11-23-22
By: Carl Erik Fisher
What listeners say about Nuking the Moon
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- Jim Boyle
- 02-26-21
A personal delivery of plan B,C,D,-Z
I enjoyed the author's passionate and personal delivery of dry boring facts and dates. He brings content to the reader uniquely. like a guest from the neighborhood over for family dinner being asked " So Vince, tell us about the new book on the government making cats into atom bombs "? And he lets loose with excitement and energy. The author delivers his personal account of his research. I push this issue to potential readers to contrast the reviews that are harshly critical of the author's personal bias, agenda, and telling his story his way. I see the author's delivery as genuine and true to his printed word. I'm a well read cold war history buff and enjoyed listening to him expand on and introduce me to many operations of interest. It helps the $ 20,000 toilet plunger the Pentagon has a line item for make sense. I highly recommend this author's work and will follow him for his next edition. I was very close to skiping this read based on reviews critical of the author's passion for declassified techno-spook stuff that almost was attempted. I offer an A+ job well done.
Jim Boyle KF4COP Raleigh, NC
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- SBen
- 04-06-21
Rare instance of the author reading the audiobook being the best idea.
Not only do I love the content, narration, writing style, and rare glimpse into our nation’s history, but this audiobook makes me want to hang out with the author.
Favorite quote, “...because hovercrafts are AWESOME.” Better when he says it by far.
His service to our country - both in Special Forces and CIA - give him the credentials and authority to discuss these matters. His Ph.D. gives him a measured, responsible approach to researching and presenting information. His personality is the icing on the cake.
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- Alexander
- 05-07-19
Great mix of Fun and History
I normally don't buy these types of books but I'm glad I did...heard about it on a podcast and have to admit it was fun and informative.
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2 people found this helpful
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- The Dave
- 06-02-20
Good If You Love Military
The narrator is a little casual for the subject matter. Mind you, I'm not looking for a textbook here, I want something readable however his current pop culture references and self-deprecating humor will obsolete this book too soon. Also didn't realize it would be 100% intense military details. This is a military book to be sure. If you like that kind of thing, with all the Pentagon intrigue, troop terminology and inside descriptions of weapons, this is for you.
I handled about half of it, then returned.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Cameron S.
- 11-06-19
Light fun read.
A fun bit of escapism, but somewhat forgettable. I would recommend it, but only to someone already interested in the topic.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-11-19
What a great read
One of the best books I have listened to in a while. The authors is clearly very passionate about the subject and it shows. My only gripes are I think it skimped on how ridiculous the nuclear powered aircraft was and that I wish I didn’t get through it so fast. I highly recommend it!
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- Kearin E. Smirniotis
- 01-30-23
Amazing book recommend
This should get a Emmy it’s thought me so much thank you so much
For this book
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- Boc
- 01-29-21
Thought provoking and humorous
Definitely recommend it the download if you are suspicious of how the government spends our tax dollars.
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- Courtmey
- 06-04-19
love this book great research
Really enjoyed all the fun and exciting stories around all these great successes and failures. Worked on our ICBM fleet for a number of years so I really loved the chapters on different weapons.
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- Shane
- 08-04-19
the shit that didn't happen
pretty interesting stories of history and the stuff that doesn't happen in between historical turning points
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