Tuesday, March 7, 1961: Nuclear fallout plotting device

Patent No. 2,973,579, "for geographically determining fallout patterns of nuclear detonations," is issued to Edward A. Schuert on behalf of the U.S. government. Schuert worked at the Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory (NRDL), at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard. "It is highly desirable that the course of the particles, particularly as they near the earth, be determinable not only with accuracy but also with sufficient speed to enable evacuation of such areas as will be affected," the patent states. (Photo from 1958 nuclear testing at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.)

* Read the patent: @

* "A Fallout Forecasting Technique With Results Obtained at the Eniwetok Proving Ground" (1957 paper by Schuert): @

* More about San Francisco Naval Shipyard: @ and @

* More about nuclear fallout (from atomicarchive.com): @

* "The Effects of Nuclear War" (1979 report from Office of Technology Assessment): @

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