Duck and Cover
I was reading an article in Smithsonian today about the use of cartoon characters by various entities to promote awareness of safety practices. The primary topic was related to Smokey Bear and how his message of fire prevention has become a problem over time. The extreme focus on fire prevention has largely eliminated even the good fires that allow the forest to thrive and avoid catastrophic fires. In recent years, Smokey's tag line was changed from, "Only you can prevent forest fires," to, "Only you can prevent wildfires." But some are saying he should be retired altogether. I don't really agree... I love that bear.
In the same article, though, there was an info-graphic that explored other characters from times past. One that was of particular interest to me was Bert the Turtle. How many of you know who Bert was? I'm guessing many of the younger folks don't. I had heard of his message - "Duck and Cover" - but I'd never heard of Bert himself. I have to be honest... everything I know about "duck and cover" I learned from an episode of Quantum Leap (loved that show).
So, I decided to go looking for the original short film that introduced school children to Bert and his very important message. Here you go...
I've had that song stuck in my head ever since. Thanks a lot, Bert.
As I was watching that video, I had to wonder if they really thought a newspaper was going to protect them from a nuclear bomb. What I subsequently learned is that the thermal blast is what would burn people as the wave from a nuclear bomb passed over. Consider this tidbit from Wikipedia: "A photograph taken about 1.3 km from the hypocenter of the Hiroshima bomb explosion showed that even leaves from a nearby shrub protected a wooden telephone pole from charring discoloration due to thermal radiation, while the rest of the telephone pole not under the protection of the leaves was charred almost completely black." So, I guess if something so flimsy as a leaf offered some protection, a newspaper is better than nothing.
Although it may seem foreign to us to prepare ourselves for a nuclear blast, we have been following the "duck and cover" rule ever since. Growing up, we did it for tornadoes. I'm assuming they do it for earthquakes and hurricanes in those parts of the country. Nowadays kids do it for active shooter drills. Times change, but fear does not. There's always something to fear. Duck and cover may not fully protect you, but I guess at least it feels like you're doing something rather than just standing there and letting the blast wash over you.
In the same article, though, there was an info-graphic that explored other characters from times past. One that was of particular interest to me was Bert the Turtle. How many of you know who Bert was? I'm guessing many of the younger folks don't. I had heard of his message - "Duck and Cover" - but I'd never heard of Bert himself. I have to be honest... everything I know about "duck and cover" I learned from an episode of Quantum Leap (loved that show).
So, I decided to go looking for the original short film that introduced school children to Bert and his very important message. Here you go...
I've had that song stuck in my head ever since. Thanks a lot, Bert.
As I was watching that video, I had to wonder if they really thought a newspaper was going to protect them from a nuclear bomb. What I subsequently learned is that the thermal blast is what would burn people as the wave from a nuclear bomb passed over. Consider this tidbit from Wikipedia: "A photograph taken about 1.3 km from the hypocenter of the Hiroshima bomb explosion showed that even leaves from a nearby shrub protected a wooden telephone pole from charring discoloration due to thermal radiation, while the rest of the telephone pole not under the protection of the leaves was charred almost completely black." So, I guess if something so flimsy as a leaf offered some protection, a newspaper is better than nothing.
Although it may seem foreign to us to prepare ourselves for a nuclear blast, we have been following the "duck and cover" rule ever since. Growing up, we did it for tornadoes. I'm assuming they do it for earthquakes and hurricanes in those parts of the country. Nowadays kids do it for active shooter drills. Times change, but fear does not. There's always something to fear. Duck and cover may not fully protect you, but I guess at least it feels like you're doing something rather than just standing there and letting the blast wash over you.
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