SURVIVING A NUCLEAR ATTACK WITH SPAM (IMAGES COLD WAR FALLOUT SHELTERS)

Atlas Obscura ^ | October 23, 2015 | ANIKA BURGESS

[haywoodwebb]

We had that film and other CD films in my elementary school in the 60s... Our school was 7/10th of a mile from a SAC base as well....

Heck, we would have been vapor duck, cover, whatever...

[TalonDJ]

“Had to laugh at those pictures of kids under their desks like that was going to protect them from a blast.”

Actually it probably will. When you look at the areas of circles you see that the ‘shock wave’ area of a nuclear blast is far larger by area than the ‘everything vaporizes’. The most likely danger when a bomb goes off is flying glass. Hiding under your desk is not a bad way to avoid some of that. The truth is that even for big bombs if you are a few miles away it is not the ‘skin burning off apocalypse’ that you see in Hollywood. There is a reason those shelters are called ‘fallout’ shelters and not ‘blast’ shelters. Hide in your basement two weeks until the main dust cloud goes away and you have a fairly decent chance of survival.

[TalonDJ]

The ones they were going to actually lob over here were much much smaller than that.

[Iron Munro]

The ones they were going to actually lob over here were much much smaller than that.

I still have doubts the desk would have worked.

[MHGinTN]

Speaking of cigarettes: I had a prof in college (in the sixties) who smoked Wings cigarettes. Somehow she was able to keep coming up with packs of those unfiltered cigs. I used to wonder if the cigs were from WWII, if not still being manufactured.

[Disambiguator]

Hey, that looks like my favorite snack. Cheese, grilled sausages, and beer.

[catman67]

Also, beer serves as a diuretic and helps flush your system; lowering your body burden of radionuclides.

[Trumpinator]

Yes, please everyone know I am not advocating living off of beer. I am just saying can be a go to source when looting - just kidding....thinking of that beer refugee guy from NOLA...

[KeyLargo]

Wisconsin. Land of Cow shit and beer farts.

[AZ .44 MAG]

Mine:
(Needs a little work)

[Kartographer]

I feel sorry for your Postman. ;-)

[Martin Tell]

Have you read Heinlein’s “Farnhman’s Freehold?” Not only did the fallout/blast shelter work, it also functioned as a time machine.

[aimhigh]

I remember seeing a target scenario where the Russians would hit Seattle, Portland, San Fran and LA. Then they would create a vertical line of 30+ hits mid-country. That mid-line hit would blanket the east coast with radiation.

[AZ .44 MAG]

Lol

[GraceG]

With this food pyramid you won't need as many sanitary provisions in the shelter as you will never poop.

[novemberslady]

bkmk

[SJSAMPLE]

Sure did.
Heinlein was batshit crazy at the end, but some of his stories were just insanely entertaining.

[Made In The USA]

Wow! That’s cool!

[SJSAMPLE]

https://books.google.com/books?id=rxnD9sEHdJoC&pg=PT88&lpg=PT88&dq=Pentagon+Develops+A-Bomb-Resistant+Desk&source=bl&ots=PdKUja3HJt&sig=T_h3tzSejoMmCDUHK2aY8QaGYZM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAWoVChMIo4zCpZPZyAIVxjMmCh1prQgR#v=onepage&q=Pentagon%20Develops%20A-Bomb-Resistant%20Desk&f=false

[AZ .44 MAG]

I’ve spoken with a few of the people involved with inspecting the Soviet sites. One of them said that some of their sites were flooded and couldn’t launch. I don’t know if that’s true or not but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were.