In 1959, the Chicago White Sox won the pennant. Bells rang, horns blew, and some people huddled in their basements, awaiting the end of the world.
Highlights
-Khrushchev’s first hot dog
-The 1959 “Go Go” White Sox and the team’s historic pennant drought
-Victory in “Baseball Thunderdome”
-Sirens interrupt celebrations
-Atomic terror in the 1950s
-Chicago flunks its civil defense pop quiz
-Robert Quinn, the man who thought this was a good idea
Bonus
This 1955 cartoon from the New York Daily Mirror shows how essential civil defense was considered in the early stages of the Cold War. Preparedness, early warning, and coordinated response could be the “David” that fended off the “Goliath” of an otherwise devastating nuclear attack.
Further Reading
The Duck and Cover Pennant - Project 3.18
Civil Defense Instructional Video
On the Beach (featuring Fred Astaire!)
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Ted: Substack
Clear the Field
Original Research and Writing: Paul Jackson
Production and Music: Ted Walker
Design: Ketaki Kulkarni
