{"id":6993,"date":"2016-10-13T00:02:06","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T04:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=6993"},"modified":"2016-10-13T08:58:00","modified_gmt":"2016-10-13T12:58:00","slug":"if-an-atomic-bomb-strikes-pittsburgh-you-can-still-eat-the-pumpernickel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/10\/13\/if-an-atomic-bomb-strikes-pittsburgh-you-can-still-eat-the-pumpernickel\/","title":{"rendered":"If an atomic bomb strikes Pittsburgh, you can still eat the pumpernickel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The <\/a>
The series of stories began on Sunday, February 11, 1951. <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"About <\/a>
About the “death ray” <\/div> <\/div>
\"An <\/a>
An A-bomb in the river <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"An <\/a>
An A-bomb in the river <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Super-Hurricane\" <\/a>
Super-Hurricane <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Hills <\/a>
Hills a safety belt <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Autos <\/a>
Autos slow firefighters <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Sneak <\/a>
Sneak attack <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\nDon\u2019t rush to church during an \u201cA-bomb\u201d attack, Pittsburghers were warned in 1951. Churches are too flimsy. Stay in your home, pull down the blinds and head to the cellar.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPrayer can be just as sincere and just as meaningful if you recite it while lying on your stomach in a basement shelter as it is when you\u2019re sitting in a pew,\u201d The Pittsburgh Press reassured its readers in a seven-part series published in the early years of the Cold War.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fear weighed heavily upon Pittsburghers in those days. It was part of a national trend.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Washington, a bullying and reckless Sen. Joseph McCarthy was busy stoking fear and wrecking lives. The enemy, it seemed, was everywhere. \u201cSpies, traitors, fanatics\u201d were trying to steal state secrets, warned the head of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. He kept a close eye on those who couldn\u2019t appreciate a joke — it was a surefire way to identify turncoats. \u201cAlmost to a man,\u201d he was quoted in a Press article, \u201cthey lack \u2018a good sense of humor.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Written by John Troan and published in February 1951, the Press series was part of an effort to calm fears and reassure citizens. Even if the Soviets penetrated U.S. defenses and struck Pittsburgh with an atomic bomb similar to the one that devastated Hiroshima, most people in the city would survive. Those in the initial blast zone would be vaporized, but neighborhoods a mile or so away would escape the worst of the bomb\u2019s effects.That loaf of pumpernickle you bought at Mancini’s? It\u2019ll be fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything in your refrigerator will be safe to eat,\u201d Troan wrote. \u201cEven the bread will be safe if you take the wrapper off.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The series, which warned against panic, was accompanied by drawings depicting apocalyptic scenes of a fictitious attack. Cars are flung through the air. Hordes of brief-case wielding, screaming businessmen and women stampede down a Pittsburgh street — maybe Fifth Avenue. Telephone poles snap like toothpicks. A mushroom cloud rises over the Point.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pittsburghers were worried because all those steel mills lining the rivers made the city a prime target. Troan reassured\u00a0readers by pointing out that an attack was not certain, and even if one were to occur, \u201cthe numerous hills here would be bound to cramp the atom bomb like a corset and thus shrink this danger zone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If a blast hit the Golden Triangle, for example, Mount Washington would protect folks living in Greentree. Of course, Troan wrote, \u201cthe side of a hill facing the explosion would be likely to take it on the chin.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Troan was generous with survival tips in the case of such an attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re at home, he wrote, \u201cget up against an outside wall because when buildings buckle the floors usually cave in at the middle.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Those in automobiles and unable to get out in time should at least slouch below the window level to avoid flash burns. If you\u2019re out for a stoll and can\u2019t find cover, dive into a curb or a hole.<\/span><\/p>\n

For those hit by dust or mist that may harbor radioactivity, Troan advised, \u201cstrip immediately and take a shower. Scrub the hair and fingernails thoroughly. But don\u2019t bath unless you have to. Save the water for the firemen.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Whatever you do, don\u2019t light up a Camel after a blast. Gas leaks will be an issue and you may\u00a0blow yourself to bits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most likely, you\u2019d survive the attack unless the bomb was placed in your lap, the series claimed. \u201cFrom 1 \u00bd to two miles away, the odds are 50 to 1 in your favor,\u201d it read.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what about all that radiation? <\/span><\/p>\n

Rays can kill or make you sick, Troan admitted, but the danger had been exaggerated.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t catch \u2018radiation sickness\u2019 from a person who gets an overdose of the bomb\u2019s rays,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to touch him, and you can even sit him up in your living room if you want to.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

— Steve Mellon<\/strong><\/p>\n

(Below is the civil defense film\u00a0“Duck and Cover,” produced in 1951.)<\/span><\/p>\n