Alert Today, Alive Tomorrow: Living with the Atomic Bomb, 1945-1965, a traveling exhibition curated by Michael Scheibach and Exhibits USA, explores the ways Americans experienced the atomic threat as part of their daily lives.
Americans were flooded with messages about the dangers of atomic weapons and attack from foreign powers through pamphlets, household objects, media, and film. Although the threat of atomic annihilation eventually drifted into the background of American consciousness in the late 1960s, the Atomic Age left a legacy of governmental response and civic infrastructure that remains relevant today. The exhibition first presents a timeline and overview of the story, explaining the three main chronological phases of America’s Atomic Age.