Follow up to "additional...", so read that one first!

After a good 20 minutes of debate with Petite, I'd like to add some clarifications and stipulations to my Hiroshima argument.
First and foremost, I'd like to limit the debate to events, not necessarily inventions. The steam engine, the combustion engine, penicillin, the micro chip, birth control, etc etc, were all absurdly important. I'm not debating this fact. However, important inventions lead to important events...and I'm just talking about events. Second, I make that bold statement with the belief that an all out nuclear war between the US and USSR during the 80s or 90s could have lead to nuclear holocaust and nuclear winter. We're talking end of the world level shit. With those kind of implications, I can only think of ONE specific event that would be more important. Sputnik. Sputnik launches the space race, which progresses satellite technology to the point where ICBMs (inter-continental ballistic missiles) are possible to the extent that we and the Russians could blow each other back to the ice age. Which is exactly what would occur if we were to experience nuclear winter. However, as you all know, I love debate. So...bring it.