The dawn of the Atomic Age saw many evangelical Christian preachers claiming that atomic energy, the splitting of the atom and atomic bombs themselves as proof of God's greatness. If being "great" as a god amounts to the destruction of the world, apart from those white Christian Americans who would some how miraculously survive an atomic apocalypse. There's the cheery little pamphlet from Rev. William D. Herrstrom (below), Christian nut-job and Holocaust denier. He even thought that people openly celebrating VJ Day, was an example of the "moral degeneracy of American youth [that] is nauseating to contemplate." Here's a selection of some of best of the bombed-out bunch.

Uranium Rush was a Gardner Games product from the mid 1950s. The information just to the left of the cactus on the top of the box (above) indicates that it was an "Educator Approved" Prestige Toy for 1955. Players begin with $15,000 and prospect for uranium in an area determined by a spinner (mountain, hills, or desert). Claims can be purchased for $1000 each and may be auctioned off or tested for uranium.

The set also included the book "Prospecting for Uranium", which encouraged people to go looking for uranium, with the incentive of payment of up to $10,000 from the US Government. Encouraging little Tommy to set out into the wilds in search of rocks of uranium, to sell to the government for cold hard cash.

Sets now sell for anything between 3 to 10 times their original value, depending on their condition.

Because the radioactive sources only have a finite life, the instruction manual came with a handy re-order form on the back cover. I do love the part on the form that states, "No request for radioactive source replacement can be honored by the A. C. Gilbert Company unless it is accompanied by the [easily copied] coupon below". That's right, little would be terrorists could order their radioactive material by mail order.

Download Atom Bomb Baby here.

Among the recordings that were produced around the time were instructional albums, like the If The Bomb Falls (A Recorded Guide For Survival) from 1961, were released along with government literature on getting through a nuclear attack. Many famous names of the time recorded instructional advice on record, for playing as radio inserts. An electric cast of characters was used, including Johnny Cash, Rock Hudson, Boris Karloff and Pat Boone all made informational and inspiring recordings. 

The genre, style and type of songs that were made during the period all vary. Themes ranged from the Cold War and the nuclear threat to odes to nuclear energy. Some were pure novelty fluff, many despite their glibness told a horrifying story. What nearly all of them did have was an memorable message, with their bizarre lyrics and often up-beat tempo, like 1957's Atom Bomb Baby by the Five Stars. You can't help yourself, tapping your feet and bobbing your head away to this wonderful track. Fancy a bit of apocalyptic calypso? Seek out the Talbot Brothers of Bermuda, with their Atomic Nightmare also from 1957.

Of course many of the songs were (or at least appear to have been) tongue-in-cheek. Even the atomic themed Jesus is our saviour piece of weirdness from Lowell Blanchard and the Valley Trio in 1950, called  Jesus Hits Like An Atom Bomb, seems to have been made with a deep sense of humour. Some were absolute novelty pieces, like Crawl Out Through The Fallout by Sheldon Allman form 1960. An absolute work of lyrical genius, hysterical and politically on-the-button!