How To Survive The Apocalypse, Cold War-Style
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The world is definitely not going to end today. So don’t worry. But! If you enjoy worrying, or just really want to be prepared for future apocalypses, then the March 1951 issue of Popular Science is required reading. In the middle of the Cold War, we published an eerily-illustrated handbook for surviving an atomic bomb strike, from preparing your family’s foxhole to what to do if you’re caught outside during the blast. Unfortunately, none of these preparations were likely to do much good if your neighborhood was actually hit by a nuclear bomb, but some of the advice might come in handy against mysterious Mayan voodoo (or whatever.)

Cold War apocalypse, 1951
Cold War apocalypse, 1951 Popular Science archive
Where to build your foxhole, 1951
Where to build your foxhole, 1951 Popular Science archive
How to survive if you don't have a basement, 1951
How to survive if you don’t have a basement, 1951 Popular Science archive

To improve your odds of making it through the end of the world, view the larger version of the infographic below.

What you need in a basement foxhole, 1951
What you need in a basement foxhole, 1951 Popular Science archive

Read the full story, with way more helpful advice, in our March 1951 issue.