5. Japanese Balloon Bombs
During World War II, Japan launched over 9,000 hydrogen-filled balloon bombs, known as “Fu-Go,” across the Pacific, aiming to reach North America. These balloons carried incendiary devices intended to start forest fires and cause panic. While some reached the U.S., their impact was minimal, and they failed to alter the war’s course. The only fatalities occurred on May 5, 1945, near Bly, Oregon, when six civilians were killed by one of the bombs. More details are available at National Geographic.
