Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast

Julie McDowall
  • 4.9 (109)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

A weekly podcast on how we prepared for nuclear war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 14H AGO

    Greenland: The Thule Air Base

    Why is America so interested in Greenland? What was its role in nuclear attack and early warning? And what happened when a huge B52 bomber carrying a bunch of hydrogen bombs crashed into the ice up there? There's a bonus pod which accompanies this episode. You can grab it here, and get ad-free listening for the whole pod archive, at www.patreon.com/atomichobo The reading list for these Thule episodes is below: Fifteen Minutes: General Curtis LeMay and the Countdown to Nuclear Annihilation, by L. Douglas Keeney Command and Control by Eric Schlosser Project Crested Ice: The Thule Nuclear Accident (SAC Historical Study) 'Greenland and its Relevance to North American Security', Naval War College Review, Vol 32, No. 6 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 min

  2. JAN 26

    Harold Macmillan, Part 4: Pressing the Button

    How would Harold Macmillan have ordered nuclear retaliation? Join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo for ad-free listening and bonus episodes. The books and articles I used in this episode are listed below: The Secret State by Peter Hennessy Winds of Change by Peter Hennessy The Prime Minister: The Office and its Holders Since 1945 by Peter Hennessy Cabinet by Peter Hennessy Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan by D.R. Thorpe Planning Armageddon: Britain, the United States and the Command of Western Nuclear Forces, 1945-1964, by Len Scott, Robert Twigge et al. 'A Matter of Joint Decision': The Origins of British Nuclear Retaliation Procedures and the Murphy-Dean Agreement of 1958, by Matthew Jones in the English Historical Review Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min

  3. JAN 15

    Harold Macmillan, Part 3

    Thor is here! In 1958, the American Thor missiles arrive in the east of England, creating a headache for the authorities, and pain for those who protested their arrival and found themselves thrown into wet concrete, pelted with rotten fruit, and dragged around by the hair. Remember you can get ad-free access and bonus episodes by joining my Patreon for just £3 a month here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo Thank you! Julie Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    36 min

  4. JAN 5

    Harold Macmillan, Part 2

    Supermac becomes Prime Minister in January 1957, a bumper year for nuclear matters! To get ad-free listening and extra episodes join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 min

  5. 12/08/2025

    Harold Macmillan, Part 1

    A new series on former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, a man born in the Victorian era who led Britain into her thermonuclear age and through the Cuban Missile Crisis. This episode starts with his horrible experiences in the trenches and takes us up to his 1954 appointment as Defence Secretary, but we take in Greek tragedy, adultery, plane crashes and a bit of Ronnie Kray on the way. To get AD-FREE ACCESS please consider becoming a patron of the pod where you will get your own feed delivering all episodes to you, ad-free, plus bonus episodes. The books I quote from today are: Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan, by D.R. ThorpeChurchill and the Bomb, by Kevin Ruane The Macmillan Diaries: The Cabinet Years, by Harold Macmillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    34 min

  6. 12/02/2025

    When The Wind Blows, Part 16

    To get ad-free listening, plus bonus episodes, visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo This week, Jim retreats into daydreams, and Hilda dishes out hard truths at the kitchen sink. Which one is best equipped to face the coming horror: the dreamer or the realist? PS I left one of my puppy's snores in the recording as it was cute. I used to sometimes do this with Bomba's snores, so here is one of Gadget's. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min

  7. 11/25/2025

    When The Wind Blows, Part 15

    To get ad-free access, plus bonus episodes, please visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    31 min
  8. POP! 99 Red Balloons

    11/18/2025

    POP! 99 Red Balloons

    The chart-topping 1983 hit about nuclear war - even though the band insisted it was no such thing! To get ad-free episodes, plus bonus episodes, please visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    33 min
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A weekly podcast on how we prepared for nuclear war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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