The 1958 Shelling That Nearly Sparked World War III

On the 18th of July, Mao gathers his top military planners and orders preparations for a shelling campaign. He orders them to fire 100,000 to 200,000 shells in the initial bombardment, followed by 1,000 shells a day until the ROC troops in Kinmen and the Matsu Islands capitulate. The leader of the PRC reassures his generals that this is the long-awaited opportunity to confront the United States, telling them, "We must not fear the ghost. The more we fear the ghost, the more it will present a deadly threat to us, and then it will invade our house and swallow us. Since we do not fear the ghost, we decide to shell Kinmen."