The 50% casualty radius for the blast effects of even a 1 megaton airburst is about 2 miles. Even in a large-scale nuclear exchange, most people are unlikely to be that close to ground zero, and many people will not be at grave risk from fallout.
The people in charge in the ‘50s were a little more serious about the risks and saw plenty of reasons to keep kids from being needlessly injured or killed by falling debris.
The people in charge in the ‘50s were a little more serious about the risks and saw plenty of reasons to keep kids from being needlessly injured or killed by falling debris.
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Hiding under desks was the equivalent of today’s masking. A useless palliative designed to make the public feel the government was in control of the situation.