In 1951, the planets Bellus and Zyra, which had been knocked out of their respective orbits when their sun went nova, collided with each other somewhere in Earth's solar system, shattering both Bellus and Zyra and spraying Earth, the Moon, and Mars with millions of tons of cosmic debris. Many of Earth's most famous natural and man-made landmarks fell victim to the disaster; in at least one case the force from the impact of these planetary fragments was enough to cause a volcanic eruption that destroyed the Italian city of Naples.

When Worlds Collide by Chris OakleyCasualties from the debris strikes alone exceeded 30 million, and another 10 to 15 millon people would die due to civil unrest, disease outbreaks, and seismic disasters that ensued in the collision's aftermath; nearly two million would commit suicide. At a least dozen countries saw their governments toppled in the chaos following the disaster; among them was the Soviet Union, which saw CPSU leader Joseph Stalin arrested on orders from his own secret police chief, Lavrenti Beria.

Two members of U.S. President Harry Truman's cabinet resigned in disgrace after they were accused of mismanaging the United States government's response to the disaster.