The Cold War 

    Remember hiding under your desk in a room full of windows.  Didn't make much sense did it.  Did you know that many civil defense shelters only had supplies for 3 days?  Recent Russian documents show that we were literally a button's push away from World War III.

     The post war struggles of two nations competing for world supremacy almost resulted in world destruction.  Hear the sirens, see the publications and find out how little we really knew about survival.  Mean while, struggles over who would dominate the arms race led us toward a race for military advantages in weapons and a presence in Space.

     The Cold War influenced everything from the toys we played with , the books we read and the television programs we watched as families.  Christmas was a time for I Spy and Man From Uncle toys.  We read about James Bond fighting evil.  The papers were filled with who was tricking who.

     These were uncertain times when we lived with the fear of nuclear war every day, and when a bright flash in the night brought thoughts of running to our basement shelters.  Even our radio dials reminded us that there were stations designated for Civil Defense use.  Since the attack in New York, those memories have had an eerie effect on today.

   The Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile crisis and the U-2 incident were only the most visible of the political games our politicians played.  The uncertainties and the political intrigue, only served to fuel the social and political unrest that was building.  Help us preserve and document this moment in time.  If you have items you wish to donate or share, help us show today's youth what stress was really like.  Help us tell the real story, and educate them about a world, centered only on itself.

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