America Wanted To Blow Up The Moon To Show Russia, but faked a moon landing instead?

Actually all kidding aside, they were really going to do it!?

The project was secret, and known only as 'A Study of Lunar Research Flights' or 'Project A119'.
The hope was that the Soviet Union would be terrified by the nuclear flash, which may have been viewable from the Earth.

Led by physicist Leonard Reiffel, the team involved in planning the mission is said to have included a young Carl Sagan.

It was abandoned because of fears about danger to people on Earth - and the effect on public opinion. Eventually the US decided to land a man peacefully on the Moon in the name of "all mankind" instead - which, it has to be said, seems more sensible.

The project has been known about since at least 2000, when Reiffel, who is now 85, gave an exclusive interview with the Observer.