A December 1957 spread in the Times magazine gave a glimpse of life at the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command in Omaha, where B-52 crews were on “continuous alert.” Here, Capt. W. H. Roberts and Lt. A. H. Hecker sat ready for takeoff in their $8 million plane (figure not adjusted for inflation). Photo: Sam Falk/The New York Times
A scramble at the hangar adjoining the ready room at Andrews Air Force Base, where the men of the Continental Air Defense Command “live perpetually in what would be a fireman’s nightmare — an endless round of false alarms,” read the Aug. 7, 1955, article. “They are pledged never to relax their vigilance or rest their reflexes. They never know when a ‘scramble’ may be IT.” Photo: George Tames/The New York Times
A 1955 article surveyed American air defense preparedness, describing a complex operation — headquartered at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland — of 12 divisions across the United States. This photo, which was never published, shows the the interior of the Eastern Seaboard Early Alert Warning System on Long Island. May 27, 1955. Photo: George Tames/The New York Times
From the Mid-Week Pictorial: “San Francisco Sees a War in the Air” read the caption for this image of bombers performing maneuvers above the city. Aug. 10, 1930. Photo: The New York Times
From the Mid-Week Pictorial: The searchlights of warships created a spectacle of light to celebrate the return of United States boats to San Francisco. Dec. 15, 1934. Photo: The New York Times
From the Mid-Week Pictorial: Marian Holmes knelt inside the glass of a 100,000-watt incandescent bulb to be exhibited by the Westinghouse Company at the World Fair in Chicago. She held a 60-watt bulb for comparison. The caption noted that the bulb “must be strong enough to withstand a crushing strain of 40,000 pounds.” Aug. 4, 1934. Photo: The New York Times
A suit built in 1960 by the Republic Aviation Corporation solved the problem of what “the well-dressed man” would “wear for a stroll over the airless moonscape.” The Oct. 16 photo spread promised that the outfit would have its own oxygen supply and that its tripod legs would “enable its wearer to rest by sitting on a perch inside.” The wrench hands were presumably for securing loose screws. Photo: Sam Falk/The New York Times
In 1955, a 14-year-old with ambitions to go to the moon built a robot he named Gismo, winning the Industrial Arts Competition run by the Ford Motor Company. Gismo walked, talked and waved his arms, and he cost $15 to make. He was one of 72 examples of craftsmanship by teenagers on display at the Waldorf-Astoria. Photo: Neal Boenzi/The New York Times
From the Midweek Pictorial, March 21, 1931. Some helpful caption information on the back of this photo explains, in all caps, “W.E. Brown, chief taxidermists of the museum, left, and C.R. Aschemeier, assistant, are shown mounting the skin of a gorilla shot in the Belgian Congo by Ben Burbridge of Jacksonville, Fla. The gorilla was 5 feet 4 inches in height, weighed 400 pounds and had a reach of 97 inches.” Also, usefully: “Taxidermists at the National Museum in Washington are the greatest experts in their line in the U.S. In their daily work, they are forced to mount many strange animals, birds, fishes and reptiles, and delicate handling of specimens is necessary.” Photo: The New York Times
Caroline, 45, was the oldest female gorilla in captivity at the time of a multimillion-dollar plan to rebuild the Central Park Zoo in 1982. Here, on Nov. 11 of that year, Caroline, well past reproductive age and of little interest to other zoos who might provide a new home for her, showed her ennui. Photo: Don Hogan Charles/The New York Times
