7 Cold War Memories Boomers Don't Want to Relive

For baby boomers who grew up in the Cold War era, the latest headlines  - about the Russian annexation of Crimea and Vladmir Putin's America-bashing speech - bring up uncomfortable memories. Who doesn't remember that childhood fear of being herded into a flimsy bomb shelter with incoming Russian missiles overhead? As we worry about whether another Cold War could loom ahead, here are seven things we don't miss about the first one:

1.  Duck and cover drills at school

2.  Home nuclear fallout shelters

>> Sign up for the AARP Health Newsletter

3.  Mutually assured destruction: The idea that war could be avoided because anyone who started one would be blown away in the resulting firestorm.

 

Discussion: Share your Cold War memories with others here

 

4. Russian bad guys (and women) in movies: Here's Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love.

5. The domino theory: If Vietnam fell, then Laos, Cambodia and Thailand would be next and the "dominoes" would never stop falling.

6. The Berlin Wall: Built in 1961.

>> Get travel discounts with your AARP Member Advantages.

7.  The Iron Curtain

What are you glad the end of Cold War left behind? Are you afraid we're entering a new Cold War era? Let us know below.

Credits: Duck and cover: Bettman/Corbis; Fallout shelter: National Archives via Wikipedia; Nuclear test: National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office via Wikimedia; Lotte Lenya in 'From Russia With Love': Getty Images; American troops in Vietnam: National Archives via Wikipedia; Berlin Wall: Roger Wollstadt/Flickr; Map of Europe: Created by BigSteve Via Wikimedia Commons

 

Also of Interest

• 24 Veterans Get Long-Overdue Medals of Honor
• 'American Grafitti' and Other Essential Boomer Movies
• Get free assistance with tax-return preparation from Tax-Aide
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

 

See the  AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more