Duck and Cover for the New Nuclear Age | Alex Wellerstein, Ph.D. | TEDxStevensInstituteofTechnology

During the Cold War, millions of American children were taught to hide under their desks as a means of surviving a nuclear war. Today, we dismiss that practice as heavy-handed propaganda. But in our new world of nuclear threats, these civil defense measures might make a significant difference in the way Americans think about nuclear weapons - and potentially their own survival. Alex Wellerstein received a PhD from the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University in 2010, and a BA in History from the UC Berkeley, in 2002, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Managing the Atom Project and International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2010-2011. Dr. Alex is currently completing his book on the history of nuclear secrecy in the United States, from the Manhattan Project through the War on Terror, under contract with the University of Chicago Press. He is the author of Restricted Data: The Nuclear Secrecy Blog, the creator of the online NUKEMAP nuclear weapons effects simulator, and contributor to The New Yorker's Elements Blog, and has been published in the Washington Post, Harper's Magazine, Science and Nature. His work has also been featured on a variety of media outlets, including The Daily Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He is co-PI on the Reinventing Civil Defense Project, sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@chrisgeroux2241]

This is an excellent, accurate, and educational talk that doesn't fear-monger. Good work.

[@calsspace2043]

As a recent grad in global policy I am excited to see this video and wish more like it would come out and explain the importance of such talks and research. This kinda goes back to disarmament and international peace & conflict resolution research.

[@dieselhead24]

Sad that this talk is now much more relevant today than it was 4 years ago when first published.

[@rosablackwell64]

I never realized that nuclear fallout was a thing I could actually prepare for. This was more helpful and encouraging than I expected (I expected SUPER depressing). Very cool.

[@Jncrinicrj]

rosablackwell64 I would just die

[@hassi44]

@@Jncrinicrj Not if Wolverine is there to shield you with a sewer lid

[@ss9392]

Came to see Prof. Wellerstein speaking, just wanted to have a look before the Webinar by AskHistorians.

[@liamf5311]

Show the tsar bomba on nuke maps the difference in scale is terrifying

[@DirtFlyer]

Fortunately that was only a one off test. Also, the current nuclear arsenals of both the United States and Russia have warheads with much lower yields than they were in the 60s and 70s thanks to nuclear treaties and improvements in accuracy. The currently active Russian nuclear warhead on most of their strategic nuclear missiles is about 800 kilotons to about 1.2 megatons.

[@vmvmvmnvmvnmvmn202]

great

[@bnobleman]

Brilliant!

[@RobbnCO]

I was in elementary school in the late 60’s and we were still taught Duck and Cover ...

[@hassi44]

It wasn't federally discontinued until the 80's. People thought these programs were a waste of government spending. Some schools however continued teaching "Duck and Cover" through the nineties and up to the noughties - red state schools in particular.

[@njt002]

Moving to Oregon 7:40

[@DirtFlyer]

You should know that this map was created 60 years ago (says 1963 on bottom right), and that it is based on picking an arbitrary wind direction, so it doesn't really tell much about where fallout would be, other than hypothetically. It's definitely interesting though!

[@fastertrackcreative]

It's rather telling that you're listing various natural disasters and countries' responses to them, then go to the US where it's an active shooter, not a natural hazard, that is the danger :/

[@lolol8366]

437 views?

[@mishra9893]

6 k people are going to survive 😂🧡

[@SuperpowerBroadcasting]

0:43 “Well, maybe you think if North Korea shot a few [nuclear] weapons up into the air, we’d be able to shoot ‘em out. I regret to tell you that’s probably not the case.” - Dr Alex Wellerstein
We should probably deal with North Korea *BEFORE* they deal with us.

[@slightlyirradiatedmuffin3257]

So you want to launch an all-out attack and guarantee the NK retaliates with an unstoppable barrage of at least dozens of ICBMs?

[@izil1fe]

He's the guy that created the "NUKEMAP" website.