Click for full image What does this map show? It relies on the wind patterns of an average spring day, in that particular decade. That decade was the 1960s, and about the biggest worry to be carried on those spring winds: fallout. This map projects fallout, if an “enemy” were to drop 3,000 megatons on […]
Tag Archives: cold war
Rural Civil Defense, 1960.
Bombs have fallen. At least one has struck St Paul-Minneapolis. Another has exploded above the Great Lakes port of Duluth-Superior. Air force [sic] bases at Grand Forks, Rapid City and maybe Minot have been hit. So have other areas…Here, there is nothing to do now but wait. Radioactive fallout, if it isn’t already here, will […]
Communist Crop Pests, 1960.
The advertisement is selling crop spraying equipment, and it’s quite a small ad, so there’s no time for them to explain the references. First, a critter, wearing a military cap adorned with a star, is holding up a sign that reads, “The 5th Column to Hold Up American Farmers.” The ad’s copy reads, “Farewell, Comrades! […]
The USS Nautilus. Artist’s Impression
In December, 1952, Collier’s Magazine made the USS Nautilus its cover story. Nautilus was the first US nuclear-powered sub, and it set record after record during its time at sea. The date of the Collier’s article, however, is a clue to this picture’s origin. Construction on the Nautilus started 14 June 1952, and the ship […]
Fallout Protection for Homes With Basements
That swanky snack bar isn’t a weekend project from Handy Andy — it’s secret is that the instant the Emergency Broadcast System begins to pierce the air, the snack bar converts into a fallout shelter. The booklet “Fallout Protection for Homes with Basements” — available in online and hard-copy formats, was produced by Civil Defense […]