
Advertise on podcast: Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast
Rating
4.9from
This podcast has
257 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Julie McDowallExplicit
No
Date created
2018/03/04
Latest episode
2026/04/17
Average duration
31 min.
Release period
10 days
Description
A weekly podcast on how we prepared for nuclear war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast podcast
When The Wind Blows, Part 18
2026/04/17
Oh dear, it's starting to get really grim!
To get ad-free listening, plus bonus epiosdes, join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Shadow Libraries
2026/04/15
How do you protect the written word from the bomb? Using salt mines and shadow libraries and iron mountains!
To get ad-free listening join my Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When The Wind Blows, Part 17
2026/04/03
Overkill, megadeath and a single Fruit Pastille. We approach the dreadful end.
For ad-free listening, join me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nuclear Fear: The Prologue, Part 2
2026/04/01
Here is the second part of the Prologue to NUCLEAR FEAR, my book on nuclear pop culture which can't find a publisher.
Should I self-publish? Are there enough nuclear nerds out there to make it viable?
You can get ad-free listening plus bonus episodes at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nuclear Fear: the Prologue
2026/03/31
A different episode from the usual: this is Part One of the Prologue from my second book, NUCLEAR FEAR. Unfortunately, it cannot find a publisher.
NUCLEAR FEAR was to be a book about the pop culture inspired by the bomb and our fear of nuclear war. I wonder should I ditch it? No publisher wants it, but do nuclear nerds want it? Over on my Patreon page some have suggested crowdfunding to publish it myself.
Well, listen to the Prologue and let me know what you think. This is Part One, and I'll upload the second part tomorrow.
Remember you can get ad-free listening and bonus episodes, and join our nuclear book club, THE DOOMSDAY LIBRARY, on my Patreon at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you,
Julie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jitters in North Carolina?
2026/03/18
Two nuclear crises hit in the early 60s: the Berlin Crisis in '61, then Cuba in '62. How did the good people of North Carolina react?
In other news, I'm launching a nuclear book club called The Doomsday Library. Here's a video, open to all, showing how it works. If the link doesn't work, visit my Patreon page at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
I hope you'll join us:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/join-our-library-152470538?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Sculthorpe Nuclear Weapons Incident
2026/02/24
What happened on a Norfolk air base in 1958 when an American threatened to k1ll himself by firing a gun into an atomic bomb?
My thanks to the Conelrad6401240 YouTube/Twitter account for alerting me to this story, and for uploading the associated documentary, 'Something Foolish With A Pistol'.
Get ad-free episodes, plus bonus episodes, for £3 a month here www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you,
Julie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Soviet Civil Defence: The Komsomol
2026/02/17
The Soviet youth organisation, the Komsomol, and how it prepared the young for nuclear war with "predators from the imperialist jungle", as Khrushchev nicely put it.
I quote from THE WHISPERERS: PRIVATE LIFE IN STALIN'S RUSSIA by Orlando Figes.
Get ad-free access to all episodes, plus bonus episodes, here www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Julie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Soviet Civil Defence: The Trouble With Vegetables
2026/02/10
Americans in the early 50s were told there was a "civil defence gap", and that the Soviets were superior in protecting their population? Was this true?
As mentioned in the pod, I quote from two academic articles. They are:
'Soviet Civil Defence: The Mineshaft Gap Revisited' by Josh M Weinstein, Arms Control Today, Vol 12, No 7, August 1982
'Was There A Real Mineshaft Gap?' by Edward Geist, Journal of Cold War Studies, Vol 14, No 2, Spring 2012
And you can get ad-free access to the whole archive, plus all bonus episodes, if you join my Patreon here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Julie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Greenland: The Thule Air Base
2026/02/02
Why is America so interested in Greenland? What was its role in nuclear attack and early warning? And what happened when a huge B52 bomber carrying a bunch of hydrogen bombs crashed into the ice up there?
There's a bonus pod which accompanies this episode. You can grab it here, and get ad-free listening for the whole pod archive, at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
The reading list for these Thule episodes is below:
Fifteen Minutes: General Curtis LeMay and the Countdown to Nuclear Annihilation, by L. Douglas Keeney
Command and Control by Eric Schlosser
Project Crested Ice: The Thule Nuclear Accident (SAC Historical Study)
'Greenland and its Relevance to North American Security', Naval War College Review, Vol 32, No. 6
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Harold Macmillan, Part 4: Pressing the Button
2026/01/26
How would Harold Macmillan have ordered nuclear retaliation?
Join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo for ad-free listening and bonus episodes.
The books and articles I used in this episode are listed below:
The Secret State by Peter Hennessy
Winds of Change by Peter Hennessy
The Prime Minister: The Office and its Holders Since 1945 by Peter Hennessy
Cabinet by Peter Hennessy
Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan by D.R. Thorpe
Planning Armageddon: Britain, the United States and the Command of Western Nuclear Forces, 1945-1964, by Len Scott, Robert Twigge et al.
'A Matter of Joint Decision': The Origins of British Nuclear Retaliation Procedures and the Murphy-Dean Agreement of 1958, by Matthew Jones in the English Historical Review
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Harold Macmillan, Part 3
2026/01/15
Thor is here!
In 1958, the American Thor missiles arrive in the east of England, creating a headache for the authorities, and pain for those who protested their arrival and found themselves thrown into wet concrete, pelted with rotten fruit, and dragged around by the hair.
Remember you can get ad-free access and bonus episodes by joining my Patreon for just £3 a month here: www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Thank you!
Julie
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Harold Macmillan, Part 2
2026/01/05
Supermac becomes Prime Minister in January 1957, a bumper year for nuclear matters!
To get ad-free listening and extra episodes join us at www.patreon.com/atomichobo
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Harold Macmillan, Part 1
2025/12/08
A new series on former Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, a man born in the Victorian era who led Britain into her thermonuclear age and through the Cuban Missile Crisis.
This episode starts with his horrible experiences in the trenches and takes us up to his 1954 appointment as Defence Secretary, but we take in Greek tragedy, adultery, plane crashes and a bit of Ronnie Kray on the way.
To get AD-FREE ACCESS please consider becoming a patron of the pod where you will get your own feed delivering all episodes to you, ad-free, plus bonus episodes.
The books I quote from today are:
Supermac: The Life of Harold Macmillan, by D.R. ThorpeChurchill and the Bomb, by Kevin Ruane The Macmillan Diaries: The Cabinet Years, by Harold Macmillan Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When The Wind Blows, Part 16
2025/12/02
To get ad-free listening, plus bonus episodes, visit www.patreon.com/atomichobo
This week, Jim retreats into daydreams, and Hilda dishes out hard truths at the kitchen sink. Which one is best equipped to face the coming horror: the dreamer or the realist?
PS I left one of my puppy's snores in the recording as it was cute. I used to sometimes do this with Bomba's snores, so here is one of Gadget's.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast reviews
Read Atomic Hobo - Nuclear War Podcast podcast reviews
Ericthesi 2025/07/26
Your podcast
Your podcast is one of my top 5 I enjoy every episode thanks for the hard work
Atomic Hobo by Stan 2025/05/21
Found my tribe!
I really enjoy how Julie dives deep into the details of nuclear war preparations, civil defense, and portrayals of nuclear war in film and television....
Gunnut81 2021/06/18
Thoroughly enjoy this podcast
Julie does a great job with this show & keeps it very interesting & informative. It is nice that this podcast covers a lot of things that just aren’t...
Gman Brad 2020/09/15
My newest favorite!
I watched Threads again and afterwards my search for more information about it led me to this wonderful podcast. The host is an very charming young la...
ineffffableme 2020/06/25
One of the best podcasts out there!
Riveting! The host makes an extremely difficult topic (difficult bc of complexity and emotional component) accessible and fascinating. Extraordinarily...
Recycler4570 2020/06/08
Fascinating
This show has a completely different view nuclear war than I grew up with, probably a far more realistic one. As a teen I was obsessed with various en...
PDXRedcoat 2020/03/04
Love this show!
This podcast shines a light on an area of history that doesn’t get talked about that much, and manages to be both entertaining and chill inducing in e...
Dagda9 2020/02/24
Wonderful
Very interesting podcast. Makes me scared but relieved with every podcast. Julie’s soft Scottish voice is a bit contrary to the subject matter. LOVE T...
Rico Boothman 2019/12/11
Brilliant
Not just for nuke nerds. Simultaneously chilling, charming—and even on occasion humorous. And who could resist Julie’s charm, and her Scottish accent?
GBJ1973 2019/11/19
EXCELLENT!!!
Finally a podcaster with the same obsession that I have, nuclear war! Julie presents wonderfully, great personality and just the right amount of humor...
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