Nuclear Fallout from Atomic Bomb Testing
Congress discussed the environmental and health consequences of nuclear fallout resulting from atmospheric nuclear tests. Atomic Tests Were a Tourist Draw in 1950s Las Vegas, Nevada’s nuclear-bomb testing spawned a spectator culture tinged with both profound fear and Sin City delight. Years ago, another sort of light flashed over Fremont and attracted a crowd: the […]
Research and Development
Cold War Organizations and Climate Research 1n the1950s began with the Office of Naval Research invested in research and development to understand environmental issues better From the late 1940s into the 1960s, many of the papers cited in these essays carried a thought-provoking footnote: “This work was supported by the Office of Naval Research.” The […]
Industry Initiatives and Self-Regulation
Defense, Denial, and Disinformation: Uncovering the Oil Industry’s Early Knowledge of Climate Change Starting in the 1950s, the oil industry designated funds to research the effects of pollution on the environment. For example, the 1954 American Petroleum Institute (API) article “The Petroleum Industry Sponsors Air Pollution Research” suggested that smog was the product of a […]
Smog in Industrial Cities
Smog episodes due to the combination of industrial pollutants and atmospheric conditions in the Great Smog of London, lethal smog that covered the city of London for five days, from December 5 to December 9, in 1952. It was caused by a combination of industrial pollution and high-pressure weather conditions. The smoke and fog brought […]