The plans for Operation Teapot, at the Nevada Proving Grounds during 1955, included a series of Civil Effects Tests, one of which, covered the exposure of packaged food products. It was expanded to cover representative commercially packaged beverages, such as soft drinks and beer, in glass bottles and metal cans. Preliminary experimental results were obtained from test layouts exposed to a detonation of approximately nominal yield. Extensive test layouts were subsequently exposed during Operation Cue, of 50 per cent greater than nominal yield, at varying distances from Ground Zero. These commercially packaged soft drinks and beer in glass bottles or metal cans survived the blast overpressures even as close as 1270 ft from Ground Zero, and at more remote distances, with most failures being caused by flying missiles, crushing by surrounding structures, or dislodgment from shelves. Induced radioactivity, subsequently measured on representative samples, was not great in either soft drinks or beer, even at the forward positions, and these beverages could be used as potable water sources for immediate emergency purposes as soon as the storage area is safe to enter after a nuclear explosion. Although containers showed some induced radioactivity, none of this activity was transferred to the contents. (Author).

Preliminary results indicate that packaged beverages recovered intact from critical exposure situations (1/4 mile) would be suitable for use as potable fluids. Under these conditions the containers may show considerable radioactivity but that of the contents is well within the acceptable 10 day emergency tolerance for water.

A polish bear in World War II rose to the rank of colonel. Penguins can't taste fish. The ashes of the man who invented the Pringles container are buried in one one. On Neptune it rains diamonds. 'Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia' is the fear of long words. These are just 0.1% of all the facts in this incredible tome! Written by seven authors and covering subjects as diverse as The Universe, Art and Literature, The Natural World and Movies, The Colossal Book of Incredible Facts for Curious Minds is the ultimate trivia book! Why not amaze family and friends with the reasons pandas do handstands, the sinister source of the term 'rule of thumb', or that the patent for the fire hydrant was destroyed... in a fire. Every entry is weird, wonderful, inspiring and quite brilliantly, true!

For thirteen days in October 1962, America stood at the brink of nuclear war. Nikita Khrushchev's decision to place nuclear missiles in Cuba and John F. Kennedy's defiant response introduced the possibility of unprecedented cataclysm. The immediate threat of destruction entered America's classrooms and its living rooms. Awaiting Armageddon provides the first in-depth look at this crisis as it roiled outside of government offices, where ordinary Americans realized their government was unprepared to protect either itself or its citizens from the dangers of nuclear war. During the seven days between Kennedy's announcement of a naval blockade and Khrushchev's decision to withdraw Soviet nuclear missiles from Cuba, U.S. citizens absorbed the nightmare scenario unfolding on their television sets. An estimated ten million Americans fled their homes; millions more prepared shelters at home, clearing the shelves of supermarkets and gun stores. Alice George captures the irrationality of the moment as Americans coped with dread and resignation, humor and pathos, terror and ignorance. In her examination of the public response to the missile crisis, the author reveals cracks in the veneer of American confidence in the early years of the space age and demonstrates how the fears generated by Cold War culture blinded many Americans to the dangers of nuclear war until it was almost too late.