Their Sheltered Honeymoon (1959) Life Magazine Aug. 10 1959.

” By the late 1950s, tens of thousands of bomb shelters had been built in middle-class neighborhoods, and 40 percent of Americans were seriously considering building one. After being asked by a Miami bomb shelter manufacturer, Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Mininson agreed to spend their two-week honeymoon in a twenty-two-ton, steel-and-concrete, eight-by-fourteen-foot shelter, twelve feet underground.”

To some, reading about this couples honeymoon taking place locked up in a bomb shelter for two weeks straight might seem crazy and suicidal. If you realize the time frame of this occurrence they might not seem so crazy after all, this was a part of the American life in the 1950’s. The constant terror of the chance that America may a part of a nuclear warfare is what turned thousands of Americans to options like building bomb shelters. The only reason the couple might of agreed to such conditions is the fact that their “real” honeymoon would be paid for afterwards in exchange for accepting the challenge set by the guy who builds bomb shelters in Miami. In completing the two weeks they produced some very useful research on how people might actually turn out in the case of a real nuclear warfare, when in this time was very possible. This gave hope to the thousands that poured money into having bomb shelters built, it gave them a sense of security during this time of great fear for not only themselves but for America as a whole.

This goes to show you the social and even the economical realities in the 1950s. People were frightened and in response they built bomb shelters regardless of the money because it must have costed a fortune. The manufactures without a doubt, prospered during this time and even gave everyone that was on edge a sense of faith especially after the new research presented by the daring “bomb shelter couple”.