Driving in the Cold War Era

[TerryB]

This instruction card from the Civil Defense tells drivers what they should do in the event of an air rade warning while they are driving.  It was issued in PA during the Cold War years 1951-1955 based on the governor's name shown on it.  I was a young lad during that time and vaguely remember when air raid drills were held and the traffic came to a complete stop during them.

 

Hope you enjoy this little piece of history.

 

Terry

 

 

[Phillip Cole]

Really interesting!?

Thanks for sharing it, Terry.

I wonder if my father's 51 Chevy would have been better protection than my school desk during the Cold War?

[1937hd45]

I know the show has ended but did the guys on "Myth Busters" ever test school desks, with their test dummy under one? Bob

[padgett]

and the triangles at 640 and 1040.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, padgett said:

and the triangles at 640 and 1040.

Most people have no idea why they're there.

[George Smolinski]

We went through the air raid practices in grade school & several times all the students were sent home as part of the practice. Of course there were rumor mills back then & in our little minds, someone started the rumor that the air raid on a particular day would include airplanes flying over & dropping bombs. But we didn't have to worry. They weren't REAL bombs, they were JUST sandbags.

[R Walling]

1 hour ago, George Smolinski said:

We went through the air raid practices in grade school & several times all the students were sent home as part of the practice. Of course there were rumor mills back then & in our little minds, someone started the rumor that the air raid on a particular day would include airplanes flying over & dropping bombs. But we didn't have to worry. They weren't REAL bombs, they were JUST sandbags.

 

George, ever get hit by a sand bag?  (;-)

[8E45E]

15 hours ago, 1937hd45 said:

I know the show has ended but did the guys on "Myth Busters" ever test school desks, with their test dummy under one? Bob

We never hid under our desks.  We had to stand facing the inside wall of our classroom with our legs slightly spread apart, and hands against the wall above our head.  I remember doing this emergency drill a few times.

 

Craig

[cahartley]

I am just shy of turning 65 so I don't recall ever seeing something like this.

I DO, however, clearly remember the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.

My folks were watching closely on our square, black, B&W Philco TV in our living room.

At age 11 I didn't really understand what it was all about but I could sense the tension.

I'm sure my folks were trying to stay cool so as to not scare the crap out of me and my sister....... 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, 8E45E said:

We never hid under our desks.  We had to stand facing the inside wall of our classroom with our legs slightly spread apart, and hands against the wall above our head.  I remember doing this emergency drill a few times.

 

Craig

I wonder if they're still afraid of a nuclear threat here in Los Angeles?

'cause I've seen quite a few people assume this very position.....with the assistance of the local police. 

[oily rag]

In our basement we had  cases of civil defense 12 oz iron water cans that were gray with black printing along with can goods and other stuff.

Every month the volunteer fire department would blow the siren for a minute as a test and the radio station would do "this is a test of the emergence broadcast system, this is only a test".

[Phillip Cole]

CONELRAD, the predecessor of EBS and now EAS, reserved 640 and 1240 kHz on the AM radio dial to make it difficult to find a target while giving needed info to the public. CONELRAD stood for CONtrol of ELectronic RADiation. That was a real reassuring name! 

 

A few years ago, National Public Radio reported on a study that showed many of the 50s and early 60s born baby-boomers still first think there is an attack when they hear a loud noise like thunder.

 

I know the placard which Terry posted was an attempt to help keep us safe, but I hope our grandchildren don't have to deal with stuff like that!

[poci1957]

10 minutes ago, Phillip Cole said:

CONELRAD, the predecessor of EBS and now EAS, reserved 640 and 1240 kHz on the AM radio dial to make it difficult to find a target while giving needed info to the public. CONELRAD stood for CONtrol of ELectronic RADiation. That was a real reassuring name! 

 

Since I was born in 1967 they were a little before my time but I had read about the CONELRAD markings in my Pontiac owners manuals and just explained them to my wife on a recent Sunday drive in the 1957.  A little forgotten cold war detail indeed, Todd C 

[Restorer32]

Friend of our family had an air raid shelter built under their back yard. Building them was a bit of a fad back then.

[GARY F]

I am older than dirt, but does anyone remember having to paint the top half of headlights black during WW II?  I as a kid remember my father doing it to his 36 Olds. we lived in N.J. if that made a difference.

[john2dameron]

I graduated from high school in 1956.  We never had an air raid drill in school but we had fire drills often where we all had to march outside and stay together until we were allowed to go back to the classroom.  In the early 1960's the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV had a large construction project going on.  I forget what they claimed to be building but it was common knowledge that it was a large underground bomb shelter for the government to use in case Russia attacked Washington, DC.  They finally admitted what it was for and opened it up for tours.  I have been through it.

[John348]

I know the topic has been quite for awhile, but it took me some time to find this. It was in the glove box of my 62 Biscayne when I came upon it. Pretty cool. I also have a set of CD Geiger Counters. Back in the in mid 70's  NYC was closing up the CD shelters in the public housing projects. My Dad was overseeing the project in the Bronx for NYCHA. The areas had become what was known to heroin addicts as "shooting galleries" So all the contents were to be removed and thrown out. The geiger counters are pretty cool. There is an instruction book telling the occupants of the shelter to elect a single male and have him take the enclosed post cards that were to be filled out with everyone's information including SS# who is in the shelter. He also had another card that he was to fill out and date with the readings he found in the area, and then drop them in a mail box. The other counter was to read the male who went out the cards, if his level was to high he was not to be permitted back in. They still thought the mail would go through!

Anyway here's a photo of the book that was in my car