1. Atomic Nightmares Create Survival Fantasies
Cold War Bomb Shelters
Atomic Nightmares
Create
Survival Fantasies

2. Japan: Atomic Effects
With the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world became aware of the destructive power and effects of nuclear war
By the early 1950’s most Americans had a growing, and graphic, understanding of atomic weapons and the dangers of radiation

3. Hiroshima Before and After

7. Atomic Babies: Birth Defects

8. Nagasaki

10. More Unsettling Images
The U.S. continued atomic tests and developed the even more destructive hydrogen bomb (H-bomb)
Americans were exposed to images of these tests and statistics such as blast radius damage and wind patterns that would spread radioactive fallout

13. Effects of Nuclear Explosion
Click the hyperlink above to view atomic test video showing effects of nuclear explosions seen in 1953 and 1955 tests.

14. Nuclear World Destruction
By the 1950’s both superpowers (USSR and USA) had nuclear weapons and, by the 1960’s, delivery systems to send them across continents and oceans
For the first time, complete world annihilation became a real possibility

17. Elaborate systems were developed to give warning before a nuclear attack
Some hoped to survive by protecting themselves, and their families, by creating protective shelters to survive the explosion and effects of radiation
A Feeling of Safety

19. Civil Defense Instructions: Nuclear Attack Warnings and Information

20. Civil Defense Propaganda Spreads Fear and Paranoia
U.S. Civil Defense used ads to try to prepare the public for possible attack and use of shelters
School children routinely practiced “duck and cover” drills where desks would supposedly help provide protection

21. Duck and Cover Civil Defense Film
Click the hyperlink above to view classic 1950’s civil defense film about “duck and cover” protection from nuclear attack.

22. Duck and Cover Instructions
Click above to hear audio of Civil Defense information on “Duck and Cover” protection.

23. Bunker Mentality
Governments, and individuals, searched for a feeling of safety and control
Bomb shelters seemed to offer the possibility of surviving a nuclear war
Public and private bomb shelters were built throughout the Cold War

25. Public Shelters
U.S. Civil Defense began assigning basements of public buildings as bomb shelters
Some of these shelters were stockpiled with food, water, medicine, etc.
There was never enough shelter space, or supplies, for all citizens

27. Shelter in the basement of the courthouse in Ottawa, IL
Shelter in the basement of the Roxy Theatre in Ottawa, IL

28. Civil Defense Instructions: What to Bring to a Public Bomb Shelter

29. Public/Private Bomb Shelters
When the Randhurst Mall was built in the early 1960’s, they added a bomb shelter in the basement
It was supposed to be able to protect all the residents of Mt. Prospect, IL from nuclear attack

30. Private Shelters
To protect their families, some Americans built bomb shelters in their homes
Many were built in secret to prevent neighbors from trying to come in during attacks
It is estimated that more than 1500 private shelters were built during the Cold War

33. Shelter Construction
To provide maximum protection, most shelters were built below ground with concrete blocks
Many were built below patios and driveways to provide extra protection
Some hid the construction from neighbors, claiming to be building swimming pools or remodeling their homes

34. Shelter Supplies
Public and private shelters were stocked for a minimum two-week supply of essentials
Water
Food
Sanitation facilities
Radiation meters
Medical supplies
Radios, books, games, etc.

35. Drinking Water

37. Survival Food

38. Sanitation Facilities

39. Geiger Counters to Measure Radiation Levels

40. Dosimeters to Measure a Person’s Cumulative Exposure to Radiation

41. Medical Supplies

42. Civil Defense Instructions: Find Shelter!

43. Private Shelters in Rockford
It is estimated that less than a dozen private bomb shelters were built in Rockford
Most builders did not apply for permits or register their shelters with local or federal civil defense
Two of these Cold War era bomb shelters are known to exist today

44. Local Shelter Locations

45. Private Shelter off Rural St.
This small house looks like the rest on the block
But under the driveway is a secret bomb shelter
It was built in the 1950’s by the Richard McGaw family

46. Mrs. McGaw Explains Why They Built Their Bomb Shelter
“It was a scare at the time, you wanted to be one of the safe ones.”
“Everyone was made to feel that there would be an atomic war and since we had two little children we felt we should build one.”
“The neighbors laughed at us at the time and if they (the government) came out with something like that again, I would be like them.”

47. A door in the basement opens to the small entryway
5 ft. high, 3 ½ ft. wide, and about 16 ft. long
The original foundation ends with the red floor
Entry to the shelter is on the left at the end of the passageway

48. Shelters had a sharp bend, or turn, to enter to protect the shelter from heat and radiation
The entry to the shelter on the left would be covered with an asbestos curtain to give further protection

49. The shelter has storage for supplies
The shelves on the right could also be used for children’s bunks
Equipped with an electrical light
Shelter was about 10 ft. wide, 8 ft. high, and 16 ft. long

50. The shelter and entry way are completely protected by thick concrete block, even over the entry way and ceiling of the shelter
The dirt and driveway above provided additional protection

51. Area of Underground Shelter

54. Discussion Questions
Why would some families choose to build bomb shelters and others would not?
What possible psychological effects would the civil defense warnings and duck and cover drills have on young people growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s?
Would public or private shelters have been effective protection against nuclear attack? Explain.
While the threat of nuclear war continued until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, most public and private shelter building ended by the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Why?

55. Assignments
You are building a private bomb shelter in the 1950’s. Design your shelter including layout, building materials, and a list of survival equipment and supplies. Describe why you might feel safer with a shelter.
After 9/11 there was widespread fear about possible biological or chemical attacks. Research what methods of protection from such attacks were urged by the U.S. government. Can you make any comparisons with the bomb shelters of the Cold War? Contrasts?