FIRE IN THE SKY

I say nuclear, you say nucular, let’s call the whole thing off.

It’s almost quaint to consider the naiveté folks had about the atomic bomb back in the 1960s. Long before they knew about nuclear winter, or electromagnetic pulse—indeed even before a certain ex-U.S. president began pronouncing the word “nucular”, thus rendering the entire subject something of a joke—people thought they could actually survive an atomic bombardment. Families built fallout shelters stocked with food, water, and medical necessities. But after the big clambake topside ended, how would the subterraneans know it was safe to stick their heads above ground again?

Thus the good people at Bendix Corporation, in the year of our delusion 1961, began manufacturing an indispensable little doodad called the Family Radiation Measurement Kit. For a mere $24.95 you got two small dosimeters, plus a charger/reader, along with two instruction booklets and, best of all—batteries were included! The Family Radiation Measurement Kit was even approved and recommended by the U.S. Office of Civil Defense, which is nice, but sort of a moot point, since if it malfunctioned you’d turn into a radioactive zombie and as we all know, they don’t litigate. You can find more info at the Civil Defense Museum website.

U.S. Office of Civil Defense, Civil Defense Museum, Bendix Corporation, nukes

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HISTORY REWIND

The headlines that mattered yesteryear.

September 9

1956—Elvis Shakes Up Ed Sullivan

Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show for the first time, performing his hit song “Don’t Be Cruel.” Ironically, a car accident prevented Sullivan from being present that night, and the show was guest-hosted by British actor Charles Laughton.

September 8

1966—Star Trek Airs for First Time

Star Trek, an American television series set in the twenty-third century and promoting socialist utopian ideals, premieres on NBC. The series is cancelled after three seasons without much fanfare, but in syndication becomes one of the most beloved television shows of all time.

September 8

1974—Ford Pardons Nixon

U.S. President Gerald Ford pardons former President Richard Nixon for any crimes Nixon may have committed while in office, which coincidentally happen to include all those associated with the Watergate scandal.

September 7

1978—Giorgi Markov Assassinated

Bulgarian dissident Giorgi Markov is assassinated in a scene right out of a spy novel. As he’s waiting at a bus stop near Waterloo Bridge in London, he’s jabbed in the calf with an umbrella. The man holding the umbrella apologizes and walks away, but he is in reality a Bulgarian hired killer who has just injected a ricin pellet into Markov, who develops a high fever and dies three days later.

September 6

1901—McKinley Fatally Shot

Polish-born anarchist Leon Czolgosz shoots and fatally wounds U.S. President William McKinley at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. McKinley dies September 12, and Czolgosz is later executed.