Paul, it’s funny how the air raid system morphed into the emergency broadcast system and then the emergency alert system we now have. The sounds and tones have changed over time to hopefully be unusual enough to capture our attention. It’s scary to think how that many people in 1959 thought it was an actual air raid but it’s even scarier to think how many people were complacent thinking it was for a baseball celebration. Thanks for an entertaining and informative 2024! Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2025! Meg
In Illinois and I think most of the midwest and southeast United States, the same sound and system just became the tornado warning system. Even the testing time window is exactly the same here as it was back then. The early systems were always supposed to be used for both. But I know just how it feels to hear that sound and then quickly calculate whether it's the first Tuesday of the month.
And the emergency broadcast system, which actually replaced Conelrad, is even more recognizable. They did a good job creating a stimulus that everyone takes note of.
Thank you for reading and responding, Meg! I appreciate you and wish you all the same.
Paul, quite a comprehensive telling of the story. Mayor Daley (the elder) was a consummate butcher of the English language, but he was beloved, because he hung the tag, "The City that Works" on Chicago (whether it was true or not), and being from Bridgeport, he was all White Sox fan.
Die hard. He and Quinn were apparently part of some "neighborhood club" as teenagers that wasn't a gang but also kind of was? I was particularly fascinated by the use of "hilarious" in a celebratory context--both men used it, and I wasn't sure if that was a period thing or someone's rhetorical quirk that the other was parroting.
Ahhh…. The good ole days. Grade school, ducking under desks, covering our heads & wondering: what the hell am I doing… is this a joke? I might’ve been 8 but I knew not only the building is gonna collapse but I was aware of radiation. I knew for a fact that an ancient wooden desk wasn’t gonna hold up a building. I remember Arthur Godfrey on TV (I’m really ancient); I think he’s a combination of Mr. Rogers & Tennessee Ernie Ford. I also remember the Conelrad triangles on the radio dial my Dad’s car radio had.
Your story Paul brought back memories of ‘War of the World’ about aliens landing in NJ. People went nuts & I think some even died.
And to prove American’s stupidity some politician had his plane buzz NYC a bit after 9/11. You wanna talk about a lot of people soiling themselves??
Was terrible news to learn of Ricky Henderson. He was a great guy. He was at the last Old Timers game @Yankee Stadium & he didn’t look well. He will surely be missed.
Have a great Holiday Paul & thank you for what you do.
Wow Jeff! This is a power-packed comment. Thank you for giving a more realistic assessment of Arthur Godfrey and sharing your Cold War memories. This story is very much akin to Orson Welles' radio version of War of the Worlds, so much so that people were even making this comparison at the time. I think Welles sort of backed in to creating a panic versus Quinn leaping into that outcome headfirst, but at the center of both is just the profound but limited power of radio as an information outlet/entertainment device.
It was very sad to learn Rickey had passed away. So far he's really only come up here in the context of accidentally killing a bird, but I am sure he'll be back and we'll try to do his legends justice in this space.
Thank you for being part of Project 3.18's dedicated corps of reader/responders, I really appreciate your contributions and support. Happy New Year!
Did he kill a bird too or was it just Dave Winfield in Canada? I’m not sure if Rickey’s arm was good as Winfield who could hit the catcher on a fly from the outfield. He was magnificent!
Paul, it’s funny how the air raid system morphed into the emergency broadcast system and then the emergency alert system we now have. The sounds and tones have changed over time to hopefully be unusual enough to capture our attention. It’s scary to think how that many people in 1959 thought it was an actual air raid but it’s even scarier to think how many people were complacent thinking it was for a baseball celebration. Thanks for an entertaining and informative 2024! Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in 2025! Meg
In Illinois and I think most of the midwest and southeast United States, the same sound and system just became the tornado warning system. Even the testing time window is exactly the same here as it was back then. The early systems were always supposed to be used for both. But I know just how it feels to hear that sound and then quickly calculate whether it's the first Tuesday of the month.
And the emergency broadcast system, which actually replaced Conelrad, is even more recognizable. They did a good job creating a stimulus that everyone takes note of.
Thank you for reading and responding, Meg! I appreciate you and wish you all the same.
Paul, quite a comprehensive telling of the story. Mayor Daley (the elder) was a consummate butcher of the English language, but he was beloved, because he hung the tag, "The City that Works" on Chicago (whether it was true or not), and being from Bridgeport, he was all White Sox fan.
Die hard. He and Quinn were apparently part of some "neighborhood club" as teenagers that wasn't a gang but also kind of was? I was particularly fascinated by the use of "hilarious" in a celebratory context--both men used it, and I wasn't sure if that was a period thing or someone's rhetorical quirk that the other was parroting.
Ahhh…. The good ole days. Grade school, ducking under desks, covering our heads & wondering: what the hell am I doing… is this a joke? I might’ve been 8 but I knew not only the building is gonna collapse but I was aware of radiation. I knew for a fact that an ancient wooden desk wasn’t gonna hold up a building. I remember Arthur Godfrey on TV (I’m really ancient); I think he’s a combination of Mr. Rogers & Tennessee Ernie Ford. I also remember the Conelrad triangles on the radio dial my Dad’s car radio had.
Your story Paul brought back memories of ‘War of the World’ about aliens landing in NJ. People went nuts & I think some even died.
And to prove American’s stupidity some politician had his plane buzz NYC a bit after 9/11. You wanna talk about a lot of people soiling themselves??
Was terrible news to learn of Ricky Henderson. He was a great guy. He was at the last Old Timers game @Yankee Stadium & he didn’t look well. He will surely be missed.
Have a great Holiday Paul & thank you for what you do.
Wow Jeff! This is a power-packed comment. Thank you for giving a more realistic assessment of Arthur Godfrey and sharing your Cold War memories. This story is very much akin to Orson Welles' radio version of War of the Worlds, so much so that people were even making this comparison at the time. I think Welles sort of backed in to creating a panic versus Quinn leaping into that outcome headfirst, but at the center of both is just the profound but limited power of radio as an information outlet/entertainment device.
It was very sad to learn Rickey had passed away. So far he's really only come up here in the context of accidentally killing a bird, but I am sure he'll be back and we'll try to do his legends justice in this space.
Thank you for being part of Project 3.18's dedicated corps of reader/responders, I really appreciate your contributions and support. Happy New Year!
Did he kill a bird too or was it just Dave Winfield in Canada? I’m not sure if Rickey’s arm was good as Winfield who could hit the catcher on a fly from the outfield. He was magnificent!