<P> The Cuban Missile Crisis: a confrontation on the stationing of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, in response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, is considered as having been the closest to a nuclear exchange, which could have precipitated a Third World War . The crisis peaked on 27 October, with three separate major incidents occurring on the same day, all of these incidents having been initiated by the US military . </P> <Ul> <Li> The "Arkhipov save" incident occurred when a Soviet submarine nearly launched a nuclear - tipped torpedo in response to having been targeted by American naval depth charges in international waters, with the Soviet nuclear launch response only having being prevented by Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov . </Li> <Li> The shooting down of a U-2 while violating Cuban airspace . </Li> <Li> The near interception of another U-2 that had somehow managed to stray into Soviet airspace over Siberia, which airspace violation nearly caused the Soviets to believe that this might be the vanguard of a US aerial bombardment . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The "Arkhipov save" incident occurred when a Soviet submarine nearly launched a nuclear - tipped torpedo in response to having been targeted by American naval depth charges in international waters, with the Soviet nuclear launch response only having being prevented by Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov . </Li> <Li> The shooting down of a U-2 while violating Cuban airspace . </Li>

What are the causes of world war 3