185 Items Tagged

Cold War

Alresford Spy Toilet

This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage

Located across from a bookstore in Alresford, England, this public toilet served as an information superhighway for spies.

The Podcast Team June 28, 2025

Harrington, England

RAF Harrington

The Cold War remnants of a nuclear missile launch site in the Northamptonshire countryside.

Kennesaw, Georgia

Berlin Wall Section at Kennesaw State University

A 10-foot segment of the concrete barrier stands quietly on the campus.

Turns out the Pacific Ocean and Utah desert have a lot in common.

space exploration

How Cold War Spying From Space Connected the Galaxy to Utah

NASA and the private space sector are now turning to technology used for a top-secret 1960s mission.

Danny Robb February 27, 2025

Olst, Netherlands

IJssellinie Fortress

This site was constructed as a Cold War-era defense against a Russian invasion.

Fort Rock, Oregon

Derrick Cave

This lava tube cave was once a Cold War fallout shelter.

Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal

Geographical Institute of the University of Porto

A seismograph and a bunker from the Cold War still sit under this university building.

Hoyerswerda, Germany

ZCOM Hoyerswerda

A unique museum that explores the history of computing and digital culture in East Germany.

Alresford Spy Toilet

Alresford, England

Alresford Spy Toilet

These public toilets were used as a dead drop by pro-Soviet spies to trade British military secrets during the Cold War.

Borovets, Bulgaria

Abandoned Ski Jump

A crumbling monument to a now locally-extinct sport in Bulgaria's oldest ski resort.

Berlin, Germany

Steinstücken Exclave

A helicopter memorial commemorating what was once the only way to access this West Berlin exclave.

There's a lot about air travel we just don't think about. For instance, why are the seat belts like this?

9 Surprising Stories About Air Travel (In Case You're Delayed)

Why are airplane seat belts so weird? And how many words can you make from airport codes?

April White December 15, 2023

Mill Valley, California

Nike Missile Site SF-88L

Ride on a fully-restored Nike nuclear-tipped missile elevator from the Cold War.

Area 51, Aliens, and the Truth (It's Out There)

A national security historian explains what's really going on at the infamous Nevada site.

Christopher Nichols October 23, 2023

Skørping, Denmark

REGAN Vest

Deep in the forest of northern Denmark, this secret underground bunker was built at the height of the Cold War.

An example fallout shelter from a 1957 government guidebook, stocked with "a 14-day shelter food supply which may be stored indefinitely, a battery-operated radio, auxiliary light sources, a two-week supply of water, and first aid, sanitary and other miscellaneous supplies and equipment."

What Would You Eat in a Cold War Fallout Shelter?

Nuclear war readiness meant stocking the pantry and recipes for canned ham salad.

Andrew Coletti October 6, 2023

NATO Troposcatter Station IDGZ

Bagolino, Italy

NATO Troposcatter Station IDGZ

This abandoned IDGZ station was one of 49 troposcatter stations in the NATO ACE High network.

Anchorage, Alaska

Nike Site Summit

Tour a Cold War-era U.S. military missile launch site in Anchorage.