Rachel Carson was a writer, marine biologist, and environmentalist who, in the early 1960’s, alerted the world to the ecological dangers of pesticides and fertilizers. Her best-selling book, 1962’s Silent Spring outlined the environmental dangers of chemical pesticides in particular. It led to a Kennedy presidential advisory commission that endorsed her findings. Her book ultimatelyContinue reading “Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and the birth of the Environmental Movement”
Tag Archives: Cold War
Senator Joe McCarthy and The Red Scare
Senator Joe McCarthy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1947 as a Wisconsin Republican. During his tenure, the bombastic McCarthy played upon America’s fears of “communist traitors” everywhere to gain unheard of political power. He abused his oversight authority by accusing thousands of government staff members and ordinary citizens of secretly being communists, spies, or left-leaning sympathizers. He skillfully used the press amplify lies and feed the people’s frenzy of fear and suspicion.
History vs. Nostalgia – What Baby Boomers Forget about the Sixties
Many Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 & 1964, now roughly 59 to 77) are prone to waxing nostalgic about the decade of the Sixties. They see it as a time when America and the western world was somehow greater – The Good Old Days – where life was simpler, safer, and filled old-fashioned family values. They seem to perhaps forget that the 1960’s was a turning point for the world. It was, in fact, filled with global wars, tragic assassinations, and political unrest. All of these led to positive, albeit painful, cultural changes for the better, over time.
Project Castle Bravo was a Human-Made Armageddon
On Monday March 1st, 1954, at 6:45 in the morning, the US carried out its largest nuclear detonation ever – CASTLE BRAVO – at the Bikini Atoll in the south Pacific Marshall Islands.
The Forgotten Palomares Nuclear Bomber Crash of 1966
There was a time during the Cold War when nuclear warheads were not only sitting in ballistic missile silos, but also flown 24/7 by large bombers.
Podcast: Castle Bravo – a Human-made Armageddon
On Monday March 1st, 1954, at 6:45 am, the U.S. carried out its largest nuclear detonation ever – CASTLE BRAVO – at the Bikini Atoll in the South Pacific Marshall Islands. Both military servicemen and Marshall Islanders got to experience first-hand what Armageddon would truly be like. The explosion turned out to be 2.5 timesContinue reading “Podcast: Castle Bravo – a Human-made Armageddon”
Podcast: The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall
By 1961, the Cold War between the U.S. and Soviet Union raged unchecked around the globe. Since World War II, it seemed the entire world had chosen sides. The fortified ‘Iron Curtain‘ had been raised – borders dividing Western & Eastern Europe along Democratic vs. Communist lines. Berlin however, though divided as well, stillContinue reading “Podcast: The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall”
The Rise and Fall of the Germany’s Infamous Berlin Wall
By 1961, the Cold War between the US and USSR was raging unchecked around the globe.