Preview

Fallout Shelter Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
367 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Fallout Shelter Research Paper
During the late 1950s, many Americans built bomb shelters. These structures, also known as fallout shelters, were constructed to protect Americans in the case of a nuclear attack and the fallout that occurs afterwards. Fallout is the radioactive debris that follows a nuclear explosion. If a nuclear attack were to occur, the fallout could reach distances miles away from the center of the explosion. At this time, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in the Cold War. The Cold War did not actually involve fighting but was a race of obtaining nuclear weapons and intimidating the opponent. Both sides knew that they could destroy each other in a matter of minutes. For this reason, Americans lived in constant fear of the Soviets bombing the United States.
Fallout shelters were built into the ground and usually had one room. The shelter was meant for families to survive in them for a couple of weeks. For this reason, supplies that sustained life were present in the fallout shelters at all times. Canned food, water, and hard candies were kept on shelves in the shelters. There was also, most of the time, an area for sleeping and a toilet. Fallout shelters could
…show more content…
However, when I asked my grandparents if they knew anybody, they said that they used knew someone who lived in Fayetteville who had a house with a bomb shelter in their backyard. The family that lived there has since moved away and no one lives on the property anymore. So, my granddad arranged for the owner of the property, who he knows, to show us the shelter. On Sunday, April 16th, we went to the property and saw the bomb shelter. We could not go inside because a hurricane had flooded the shelter. However, we could still look inside of the hallway that led to the shelter. While I was there, I took a few pictures of what we saw. Overall, this was a great experience of seeing a fallout shelter in person rather than just studying one

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    After the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers and subsequently a period of tension and hostility arose, known as the Cold War. During this time, a new possibility of complete nuclear destruction that would claim the lives of many emerged, therefore “the easing or relaxing of tensions” on both sides was needed, this period would be known as detente. Both countries had been guaranteed mutually assured destruction as they had both managed to stay ahead in the development of nuclear arsenals. By the late 1960s the Soviets had surpassed the United States in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) by 1,300 to 1,054. Although the U.S was still ahead in various categories, it no longer enjoyed the immense nuclear advantage as before. However, neither side was prepared for the risk of a full scale war. Apart from the possibility of a disastrous nuclear war, factors in both the U.S and the Soviet Union also motivated the need for a relaxation of tensions.Both countries were in severe economic crisis due to the arms race and needed to diverge the funds to rebuild the economy. In the United States public opinion in America indicated that the Cold War was 'unjustifiable both economically and morally' due to the ongoing war in Vietnam. All these factors would eventually lead to the establishment of detente.…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sc300 Unit 2 Assignment

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It had gotten so bad during the beginning of the cold war most Americans took precautionary methods for themselves and their families. Some of the steps taken were very thorough. Some people had stockpiled food into their basements and cellars storing non expiring food,…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Cold War began in 1945 and went through 1991. It was primarily over the nuclear arsenals amassed by the USA and the Soviet Union. This scared many Americans because we were targets of the bomb threats that would be dropped on them at any time. Families were building shelters and underground homes. Many in the US including government became preoccupied with satellite launches and accusing innocent people of spying.…

    • 572 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Eisenhower, Cold War: DBQ

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Eisenhower and his administration soon after the spread of communism developed a new policy. This policy was developed from Eisenhower's new program called the New Look. Eisenhower's new plan involved threat of using nuclear weapons as a form of containment. The policy of Eisenhower's had potentially dangerous results however. In the case of an actual Communist action, the US would only be able to respond with nuclear war, or to devise a new plan. This also encouraged the Soviets to increase funding and time to their research, shown in a US News and World Report(1957). With Eisenhower's New Look, the United States would be prepared for Communism of any form. When the American public became informed of Soviet nuclear technology rumors of another war became rampant. Eisenhower's relief came with the FCDA insuring safety to the public if preparations were made. The relief of the FCDA came in the form of bomb shelters(sealed barricades to preserve life for an extended period of time from such an attack), displayed in Life Magazine(1955). Along with nuclear technology the American public feared the Soviets were more advanced due to their progress in the "Space Race." To…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article, “The Day the Bomb Went Off,” Knoll and Postol argue nuclear bombs are catastrophic. The event of a nuclear attack would send humans back to the stone age, and put a halt on any technological advances. Furthermore, the effects of radiation would harm the population within a broad radius of a nuclear explosion. Readers may wonder what America would do under nuclear attack, and draw the conclusion nuclear bombs would destroy everything our society has accomplished.…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Fears of radioactive fallout and potential health problems we're also increasing as it was being learned that radioactive substances were being found in soil and food. The general unease and fear was capitalized on by Hollywood. A number of motion pictures were produced as well that played to the public concern and fears of the atomic age. 1959 saw the most poignant film of the decade produced depicting the human race after nuclear war. On the beach painted an apocalyptic and frightening picture of America post-nuclear war. Another threat that created a threat a great amount of fear was that of communism moving into the Western Hemisphere. Within 90 miles of the coast of Florida on the small island of Cuba Fidel Castro led a successful Insurrection against the American supported dictatorship of Batista. After the United States threatened cut off economic aid to Castro he declared his support for communism and align himself with the Soviets as well as confiscating about 1 billion dollars worth of United States…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Your survival kit must include items to guarantee not only your physical well being but your…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Duck and Cover

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The nine minute 1951 movie Duck and Cover teaches children what to do in the case of a nuclear attack against America. During this film, several scenarios are given where adults and children, families and men working in the field are encountering a nuclear attack. The general order was to get down (duck) and cover your head with your arm or hands (cover). For that period in time and what was known about nuclear attacks this was probably a good plan, or if not a good plan at least a plan and that would keep the fear and panic subdued.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Because of the atomic bomb, civil defense drills required people to crawl under their desks at work or school; high schools named their football teams "The Atoms"; and songwriters wrote about the end of the world. Movies warned of the dangers of the bomb or made grim jokes about the fate of humanity. In the late 1940’s, faced with the possibility of a nuclear war,…

    • 767 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hurricane Sandy was the biggest hurricanes to ever hit the east coast let alone the world. Sandy was a storm consisted of two storms, because it was a tropical storm before it became a “Frankenstorm”. Then it became a class 1 hurricane. Sandy broke records for highest storm surge, biggest wave, and many more. Sandy killed at least 140 people, and cost over 40 million dollars in damage. Sandy affected many countries including Canada, U.S.A, and some countries in the Caribbean, taking over a week to disapparate. Sandy overall was one of the biggest natural disasters ever.…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The third and probably the most dangerous weapon in the Cold War was the nuclear munition. When the U.S.S.R. detonated their first Atomic bomb on August 29, 1449, the U.S.A. was shocked. Up until that point, we were believed to be the only nation possessing the knowledge of nuclear weaponry. This caused America, as well as other countries, to Impugned…

    • 61 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Prospectus Example

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages

    nuclear war and spare them the effects of radioactivity. In my pre college studies, I…

    • 1668 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As the war began to die down and eventually end, people began to stop using the shelters, and as most things that are not used, people stopped making the shelters all together. The shelters did not leave a large legacy although their a few individuals that continue to build bomb shelters and in fact they are still available for installation at a residence.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I grabbed when the the roof of my house started to tear from the rest of my house. I dashed the few more steps to knock on the bunker door I knocked and scram for them to open the doors. They finally opened the doors up when I felt like quit trying. I ran inside to feel safe, the hurricane had probably destroyed my house by then. While outside the bunker I felt the tremendous winds pulling me in. I had the necessary stuff to survive the storm for a week. I had a first aid kit for the times where I needed a cut to be cured or someone got sick, canned food so that I could make a fie and use the can to cook it inside of it, astronaut food so that I could use water to make it, cutlery such as a pocket knife or scissors because at sometime during the disaster I I would need to cut something, rope so that if I needed to tie something together, matches to start a…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    cold war and communism

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Watching the duck and cover makes one think, would hiding under a desk or jacket against a wall really save someone. Seeing this makes one think if living during the time of a nuclear war would be desirable, not that one has the choice but it would have to be a thought. According to this duck and cover video, a nuclear bomb warning can happen at any time and one would find somewhere that was considered safe and a good distance from windows to duck and cover. If one saw a bright flash then they were to duck underneath any clothing available and against any type of structure as soon as they possibly could to protect themselves. This era had to be extremely stressful, especially for the young children this video was being shown too. This video had to wreak havoc on a child’s subconscious.…

    • 517 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays