The Atomic Age Cartoon: A Is For Atom (1952)

The Atomic Age, also known as the Atomic Era, is a phrase typically used to delineate the period of history following the detonation of the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, Japan in 1945. Although nuclear science existed before this event, the bombing of Hiroshima represented the first large-scale, practical use of nuclear technology and ushered in profound changes in socio-political thinking and the course of technology development.

The Atomic Age in pop culture

1913 — C.W. Leadbeater published Man: How, Whence, and Whither? . This book describes the future society of the world in the 28th century (which, as a clairvoyant, Leadbeater claimed to have gotten information about from consulting the akashic records) as being powered by nuclear power.

1914 — H. G. Wells publishes science fiction novel The World Set Free, describing how scientists discover potentially limitless energy locked inside of atoms, and describes the deployment of atomic bombs.

October 1939 — Amazing Stories published a painting of an atomic power plant by science fiction artist Howard M. Duffin on its back cover.

1940 — Robert A. Heinlein published the science fiction short story "Blowups Happen" about an accident at an atomic power plant.

1940 — Robert A. Heinlein published the short story "Solution Unsatisfactory" which posits radioactive dust as a weapon that the US develops in a crash program to end World War II.

5 July 1946 — The bikini swimsuit, named after Bikini Atoll, where an atomic bomb test called Operation Crossroads had taken place a few days earlier on 1 July 1946, was introduced at a fashion show in Paris.

1946 - Virgil Jordan published: "Manifesto for atomic age" Rutgers University Press.

1951 — Isaac Asimov's science fiction novel Foundation (consisting mostly of stories originally published between 1942 and 1944) is published. In this novel, the first novel of the Foundation series, the Foundation on Terminus, guided by Psychohistory, invents a religion called Scientism which has an atomic priesthood based on the scientific use of atomic energy to pacify, impress, and control the masses of the barbarian inhabitants of the stellar kingdoms surrounding Terminus as the Galactic Empire breaks up.

1954 — Them!, a science fiction film about humanity's battle with a nest of giant mutant ants, was one of the first of the "nuclear monster" movies.

1954 — The science fiction film Godzilla was released, about an iconic fictional monster that is gigantic irradiated dinosaur, transformed from the fallout of an H-Bomb test.

23 January 1957 — Walt Disney Productions released the film Our Friend the Atom describing the marvelous benefits of atomic power. As well as being presented on the TV Show Disneyland, this film was also shown to almost all baby boomers in their public school auditoriums or their science classes and was instrumental in creating within that generation a mostly favorable attitude toward nuclear power.

1958 — The Atomium was constructed for the Brussels World's Fair.

1959 — The popular film On the Beach shows the last remnants of humanity in Australia awaiting the end of the human race after a nuclear war.

23 September 1962 — The Jetsons animated TV series began on ABC, attempting to humorously depict life in the fully developed Atomic Age of 2062.

1964 — The film Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (aka Dr. Strangelove), a black comedy directed by Stanley Kubrick about an accidentally triggered nuclear war, was released.

1982 — The documentary film The Atomic Cafe, detailing society's attitudes toward the atomic bomb in the early Atomic Age, debuted to widespread acclaim.

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[andrewplatz7]

This has more information in 15 minutes than all of today's mass media combined for years. There is nothing informative on TV anymore. I love how they purposely used an academic language in a cartoon. That really says something about how far society has shifted from the original mean. Today's media is afraid of using "Big" words for fear that one viewer may not understand. So I guess a five year old from 52' is smarter than any adult today.

[Scarecrow0089]

Some information is outdated Nassim Haramein is on point with new physics but still its a good way to explain information. Everything is so dumbed down these days they just don't make them like this anymore.

[AussieGriffin]

Gotta wonder what irradiated fertilizer has to answer for as far as cancer rates go... (Mind you that is not me saying nuclear physics shouldn't be studied...)

A.G.

[Penumbra505]

hehe, weaponized uranium was wearing a sailor suit. you have to love that vintage fridge humor.

[Penumbra505]

@andrewplatz7 well, it's doubtful this was designed for "children" children, cartoons up into the seventies were shown i movie theatres and picture shows. this was most likely a "stock cartoon" to illustrate scientific information in larger lectures and programs, or in class rooms. The old daffy duck gags of "is their a doctor in the house?!" or any of the fourth wall gags.

[openvue]

LoL! Radium is having a "Radio active" party (04:29)!

[luisbeck007]

- Today we know why all this pathetic propaganda about Iran having nuclear energy... they are selling 60 billions dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia... world record arms deal... with the Peace Nobel Prize... nothing but a bunch of mother fuckers imbeciles there instead of promoting other better industries... this is the never ending cold war story... no brain besides their bullshit strategies...

[alifico]

@luisbeck007 Yeah, i agree, it doesn't make sense, it sounds like a suicide mission. It reminds me of nazi germany not in the same way just in that similarly it had suicidal goals, at that time was the apparently more evil enemy, it also espoused anti jew world order propaganda, it also was used by elitists to further many ends, It also had/has vital position and power in its region. The question is whether each others leaders were/are co-conspirators, willing pawns, or simply duped.