Pickup Truck Camper Cutaway, 1967

Pickup Truck Camper Cutaway 1967

This pickup truck camper was pretty state-of-the-art stuff for RVs in the late 1960s. It had a pass-through to the cab; 12v outlets; aircraft inclinometers to indicate when the camper was leveled off; stiff springs; and an over-the-cab bunk. Source:  Popular Mechanics May 1967

Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult Cutaway, 1953

Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult, 1953

Pictured is a 1953 cutaway of the planned HMS Perseus, showing the novel introduction of a steam catapult to replace the customary cylinder, ram, pulley, and wire catapults. The plane is hooked to a long, slotted cylinder.  High pressure steam is released from the ship’s boilers into the cylinder. As of the date of that… Continue reading Aircraft Carrier Steam Catapult Cutaway, 1953

Community Bomb Shelter Under Bridge, 1962

Community Bomb Shelter Under Bridge, 1962

In addition to small residential bomb shelters built in backyards or in basements, some communities planned–and in some cases, built–larger shelters for the community. Most community bomb shelters were based in existing buildings–church or school basements, in particular.  But this cutaway drawing shows a bomb shelter under a bridge built for this express purpose. Click… Continue reading Community Bomb Shelter Under Bridge, 1962

Home Fallout Shelter, 1960

Home Fallout Shelter 1960

Home-based nuclear fallout shelters combined everything that magazines needed in the 1960s to attract readers:  fear, home remodeling, and the opportunity for producing great cutaways. Just going into your basement during nuclear attack would decrease your chance of radioactive exposure to 10% of the exposure if you had stayed outside. By undertaking some pretty major… Continue reading Home Fallout Shelter, 1960