Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: What’s the one memento you would save after the apocalypse?
Back in the 1950s, facing the threat of nuclear annihilation, federal officials sat down and pondered what American life would actually look like after an atomic attack. They faced a slew of practical questions like: Who would count the dead and where would they build the refugee camps? But they faced a more spiritual question as well. If Washington DC were hit, every object in the the National Archives would be eviscerated in a moment. Terrified by this reality, they set out to save some of America’s most precious stuff. Today, we look back at the items our Cold War era planners sought to save and we ask the question: what objects would we preserve now?
We first released this episode back in 2020, but with our big 4th of July—250 years!—we thought it was a strange but profound reflection on what this whole America thing that we’re celebrating actually is.
Special thanks to Luke Manon, Ben Irving, Bill Pretzer, Jason Spier and Garrett Graff for all his reporting that made this episode possible.
LATERAL CUTS - The Cataclysm Sentence (radiolab.org/podcast/cataclysm-sentence)
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Simon Adler
with help from Tad Davis
Produced by Simon Adler
Original music and sound design contributed by Simon Adler
and edited by Pat Walters
Episode Segments:
0:00 Chapter 1
20:28: Break
21:23: Chapter 2
40:23: Credits
41:21 Support
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🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
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Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by Joanna Strogatz
From the Radiolab podcast: What’s the one memento you would save after the apocalypse?
Back in the 1950s, facing the threat of nuclear annihilation, federal officials sat down and pondered what American life would actually look like after an atomic attack. They faced a slew of practical questions like: Who would count the dead and where would they build the refugee camps? But they faced a more spiritual question as well. If Washington DC were hit, every object in the the National Archives would be eviscerated in a moment. Terrified by this reality, they set out to save some of America’s most precious stuff. Today, we look back at the items our Cold War era planners sought to save and we ask the question: what objects would we preserve now?
We first released this episode back in 2020, but with our big 4th of July—250 years!—we thought it was a strange but profound reflection on what this whole America thing that we’re celebrating actually is.
Special thanks to Luke Manon, Ben Irving, Bill Pretzer, Jason Spier and Garrett Graff for all his reporting that made this episode possible.
LATERAL CUTS - The Cataclysm Sentence (radiolab.org/podcast/cataclysm-sentence)
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Simon Adler
with help from Tad Davis
Produced by Simon Adler
Original music and sound design contributed by Simon Adler
and edited by Pat Walters
Episode Segments:
0:00 Chapter 1
20:28: Break
21:23: Chapter 2
40:23: Credits
41:21 Support
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram — instagram.com/radiolab
X — https://x.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Threads — threads.net/@radiolab
TikTok — tiktok.com/@radiolab
Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by Joanna Strogatz
