12 Consequential Things Decided by An Extremely Thin Margin
![12 Consequential Things Decided by An Extremely Thin Margin](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/7/0/2/890702_320x180.jpg)
Many of us have had some close calls over the years. Times in our lives that we can luckily look back on and say, “Man, I’m glad I didn’t eat that questionable shrimp,” or, “Man, I’m glad I wasn’t home when Crazy Jimmy came a knockin’.” If you haven’t had any personal close calls, don’t feel left out. Because there are some whoppers on this list that definitely affected you, us, and every other living thing on planet Earth.
It’s amazing what one decision from one person can have on the rest of us. We go about our day, typing up words about historic close calls, but little do we know that in some bunker hundreds of feet below the Earth, decisions are being made. Even when we can vote on a decision, the collective outcome may or may not be what we were hoping for. Let this list be a reminder to us all… Our one vote does matter. Because sometimes, that’s all it takes. Here are 12 things decided by an extremely thin margin.
The one time we were thankful for a bear attack.
![Thin margins A bear almost kicked off nuclear war In 1962, a Sector Direction Center guard hit the sabotage alarm after he saw a figure climb the security fence. The faulty alarm ordered nuclear-armed F-106A planes to take off. The pilots assumed World War III had started, but were stopped on the runway. The figure ended up being a bear. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/7/7/889877.jpg)
The first president of the new millennium.
![Thin margins George W. Bush vs. Al Gore The 2000 presidential election was so close that Gore demanded a recount. Legal challenges brought the race to the U.S. Supreme Court. They rejected a recount, and Bush won 271 to 266 in electoral college votes. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/7/8/889878.jpg)
Brooklyn thinks of itself as its own city anyways.
![Thin margins Brooklyn was almost its own city In the 1894 vote to consolidate surrounding counties into NYC boroughs, Brooklyn voted to join NYC with 50.11% of the vote. It was 64,744 to 64,467. Only 277 votes. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/7/5/889875.jpg)
You’d think Nixon would’ve won by a nose. (Snap!)
![Thin margins JFK won the presidency by a very thin margin In 1960, 4,500 voters in Illinois made the difference in the presidency of Kennedy over Richard Nixon. In Chicago, JFK said, If all of you had voted the other way - there's about 5,500 of you here tonight - I would not be President of the United States. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/7/6/889876.jpg)
Cecil Stoughton/Wiki Commons,
Department of Defense/Wiki Commons
Two measly votes.
![Thin margins The closest race in Senate history In 1975, the New Hampshire race for an open seat pitted Republican Louis Wyman against Democrat John Durkin. The contest lasted eight months and came down to just two votes. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/8/5/889885.jpg)
One vote! This is why voting matters, people!
![Thin margins Westchester almost became a borough of NYC In 1894, each county surrounding NYC voted for or against consolidation. Westchester's vote against consolidation won by only one vote, and a chunk of what was once Westchester became the Bronx. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/8/3/889883.jpg)
The map of Canada would look a lot different.
![Thin margins Quebec almost separated from Canada In 1995, a separatist party of Canada's predominantly French province held a vote for Quebec to become its own country. The vote to remain part of Canada won with 50.58% of the vote! CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/8/4/889884.jpg)
See? They’re not all Bond villains!
![Thin margins One Russian prevented World War III In October 1962, U.S. and USSR subs squared off in the Cuban Missile Crisis. The U.S deployed small depth charges as warnings, and two out of three Russian officers voted to launch a nuclear warhead. Even though Vasili Arkhipov was outvoted 2-1, he refused to authorize the launch. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/8/0/889880.jpg)
One tiny error.
![Thin margins A scary signal from one microchip In 1980, one NORAD microchip bugged out and falsely indicated that the USSR fired 220 nuclear warheads at the U.S. They found the bug moments before advising President Jimmy Carter to counterattack. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/8/2/889882.jpg)
Come on, kid. What’s the worst that could happen?
![Thin margins One bad decision caused the Chernobyl disaster A sleep-deprived and ill-tempered Anatoly Dyatlov oversaw the test on Reactor No. 4. Young engineer Leonid Toptunov made a mistake, but Dyatlov forced him to continue against his will (and against safety protocols). That decision caused a massive power surge which destroyed the reactor. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/7/9/889879.jpg)
One vote to rule them all.
![Thin margins John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson In 1824, the presidential race was so tight that it was decided by the House of Representatives. John Quincy Adams vs. Andrew Jackson Adams won by a single vote. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/7/4/889874.jpg)
George Caleb Bingham/Wiki Commons,
Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl/Wiki Commons
We may never have known Abraham Lincoln.
![Thin margins Abraham Lincoln's assistant stopped him from a duel A young Lincoln had many heated exchanges with state auditor James Shields. They agreed to a duel (using cavalry sabres while standing on balancing beams) but Lincoln's assistant begged him not to go. Не was luckily alive to keep the Union together, win the Civil War, and abolish slavery. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/8/8/1/889881.jpg)