Samantha Smith, a Cold War child from Maine, became an international celebrity at age 10 when she wrote a letter in 1982 to Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov voicing her concerns about a nuclear war. Andropov replied, invited her on a goodwill trip to the Soviet Union, and her trek there and back became a media sensation. An articulate child who suddenly possessed an off-the-charts Q rating, Smith was cast in the TV drama, Lime Street. When returning to Maine from filming the a segment of the series, Smith, who was 13, and her father, were killed in a plane crash.

Smith on Nightline: