Of Fire Bells and Nuclear Bombs

STORY BY: Jack F.
YEAR: 1962
LOCATION: Winnipeg, MB

With current talk about another Cold War, Jack tells a story of when he was in Grade 11, being told they were about to be "burned off the face of the Earth." During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, nuclear war seemed imminent, and the school told students that when they heard the fire bell, they were to go home. In Latin class, a student took their pen to the metal bell, "ding, ding, ding!", and though it relieved some of the tension, there was still an "eerie and surreal feeling about the danger that we were living in." Thanks for sharing, Jack.