How many people have been killed in nuclear attacks since, say, September 1945? Fairly confident that number is zero. How many people have been killed with Kalashnikovs? High explosives? .50 caliber rounds? 7.62? 5.56? Those numbers are, I think, in the millions. Perhaps all the "ban the bomb" energy would have been better served banning the Kalashnikov instead...
We had about 45 years of the Cold War. Hard to fathom sometimes, but we're now at 30 years "since the Cold War ended..."
"Limited nuclear war" is certainly possible if a nuclear power responded to a nuclear strike with a "measured response." How likely is either part of that equation? Maybe not so very likely... How would the world's nuclear powers respond to a terrorist organization's dirty bomb?
Nuclear response to a cyber attack? Unlikely. Something more surgical perhaps.
40 years ago the big powers had huge arsenals of nuclear and conventional weapons and large numbers of ground forces. The big powers kept the little powers under control. The big powers disarmed and retreated, changing the relative balance of power. Rational people controlled the nuclear arsenals, and they knew too well what would happen if either side pushed the button. MAD prevented either's destruction. I've often postulated that the world was a safer place 40 years ago than it is now.
Lest anyone misunderstand - I am glad the Cold War is over. Glad the nuclear stockpiles have been reduced. Etc. People don't understand, everything needs maintenance, upgrades or replacement, even nuclear weapons. Tritium, for example, has a finite life. Wouldn't you hate it if you needed your nuke(s) and they were duds?