Duck & Cover School Drills During Cold War

I saw this photo with some news story the other day. It is from the Cold War era "Duck and Cover" drills that kids used to do in school in the 1950s and 1960s. The idea was upon hearing the civil defense siren, you needed to crawl under your school desk and cover your head, and remain there until the 'all clear' was given. When I saw this picture, my first thought was how stupid the one kid must have been to have his head and back not even under the desk. He might as well be standing in the middle of the room. Then it occurred to me --- that's probably exactly what I did during our duck and cover drills in elementary school. Maybe that IS me in the photo. No one ever accused me of possessing an excess of intelligence or good sense back in the day (or today for that matter).

Duck & Cover School Drill
(unknown source)

Duck and Cover Civil Defense Film 1950's

 

Posted on July 16, 2015