h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Turning of military age during the 1980s was an eye-opener for me as an American.

I learned a lot about the Soviet Union and can probably still identify most Soviet military hardware from that era on sight. I was convinced that I would be drafted into the military - Ronald Regan was president remember.

Of course such uplifting films as 'The Day After' and songs like Sting's 'Russians' did nothing to ease my nuclear-induced paranoia. Then when I got to college I wound up in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps program and learned about America's military and got to dress up like a soldier and play with weapons and stuff...

Imagine my shock when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989!

There was a rumor about the Berlin Wall coming down. East and West German authorities got together to decide where the capital city would be. The consensus was Paris.

Ah, the memories. Never being sure when you went to bed at night if you would wake up deep fried

A True Story:

One day when I was in my early to mid teens in the early 80’s an earthquake stuck the North-West of England. Now the house in which I was in bed asleep happened to be on the fault line.

Bed Shakes
I wake up facing the wall – think Mum is shaking the bed trying to wake me up.
I Turn over No Mum
:: Thinks ::
(This being the NW of England an Earthquake did not immediately spring to mind).
Decides somebody somewhere accidentally hit the wrong button.
Now I’m sure Manchester wasn’t hit as I’m not deep Fried,
I’m also sure London wasn’t hit as I didn’t think the tremors would have been so strong this far North,
So I decide it must be Birmingham that has been nuked.
With this thought in my mind I rollover and go back to sleep.


Can I also plug F86278?thread=193179 "The Legality of Nuclear Weapons" while I'm here.

Wasn't there this awful Ronald Reagan microphone test in 1984:
" I announce that the bombing of Russia will begin in five minutes. ", or similar ?

Otto shouldnt you also post that over on F88822?thread=193420

I can beat that story!
Somewhere between 1983 and 1985, I can't remember exactly when.
We had some idiot policeman who let off Coventry's early warning siren by "accident" (we reckon he was either drunk or on drugs, but he lost his job either way) and the whole city was treated to the pleasure of the 4 minute warning going off at 3am.

I just lay as close to the wall as I could and started to count. Once I'd got past 5 minutes I tried to get back to sleep. That wasn't happening! The next day at school you could tell who'd heard it and who'd slept through it in blissful ignorance.

Those who hadn't were totally unaware what the rest of us were going on about.