At the end of the 1950's, the United States was afraid Russia would launch an atomic attack leading to a nuclear holocaust, the echo of which still menaces the world. Russia feared the U.S. would. The Cold War escalated as nuclear weapons spread across the face of the planet: England, France, India, China, Pakistan. Nowhere on the planet is safe from the effects of nuclear production gone awry.

The Cuban Missile Crisis lured the two most powerful nations and all humanity to the brink of extinction. The potential nuclear destruction on which Miller premised his story was present. President Kennedy and Premier Khruschev allayed their belligerence and the world heaved a tentative, cautious sigh of relief. Nuclear arms production raced ahead; the 60's spawned a generation fully aware that any day could be the last. "Would the world commit suicide?" was ever-present.

A brief encounter with a failed reactor at Three Mile Island jolted the United States and anti-nuclear demonstrations popped up at many nuclear power plants. Not until the meltdown at Chernobyl did the Russians understand the same danger.

To generally deaf audiences scientists from around the world began preaching NUCLEAR WINTER, the impossible return from nuclear madness. They were of two camps, absolute extinction or destruction of most life. Should any humans be lucky enough to live through the holocaust, they would be transported back to a caveman existence or at the very least the DARK AGES of western civilization. Either would be quite a jolt to our affluence; any sense of the culture we know would vanish.

BOOKS, scholarly and general market, began appearing in the 70's as each scientist or group attempted to persuade the public of their particular belief. Anti-nuclear demonstrations, usually led by those in the public eye but unschooled in physics or science of any kind, finally jaundiced the public. White papers got little exposure.

The horror of such a potential existence was offered by Hollywood in mostly B MOVIES. However, On the Beach (novel by Neville Shute) from the early 50's helped initiate a public fear that gripped at least one generation.