It is estimated over 200,000 bomb or fallout shelters were constructed by 1965. President Eisenhower suggested people keep seven days worth of supplies. Shelters became commercialized by department stores and supply companies. They could be constructed in many shapes, sizes and styles. In this photograph, a man inspects canned food rations in his Chapel Hill fallout shelter, 1961.
Citation: Sheet Film 1175: Fallout Shelters, 27 November 1961: Scan 3, in the Roland Giduz Photographic Collection P0033, North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. https://amst276.web.unc.edu/86-2/the-social-lives-of-fallout-shelters/. Accessed 27 September 2023.
Questions
- What was the purpose of bomb or fallout shelters?
- After examining the photo, what items does it appear someone would typically include in their shelter?
- What items not shown in the photo would you include and why?
