With the end of the Second World War, and the terrifying demonstration of the power of atomic weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world's great powers fell over themselves to ensure they wouldn't be left bringing up the rear in the nuclear arms race. The Soviet Union tested its first bomb in August of 1949. The UK came next in 1952. With the advent of the H-bomb later the same year, weapons were getting bigger and dirtier. The world was fast becoming a very dangerous place.
The Cold War was developing; the US and USSR were engaged in a game of macho posturing, each backed by a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying life on Earth many times over on the whim of a few overfed, pampered, Alpha-idiots. Understandably, people started to get nervous.
In January 1958, prompted by a letter to the New Statesman by the writer JB Priestly, calling for unilateral nuclear disarmament, the magazine's editor, Kingsley Martin, convened a meeting, where the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was conceived. And on this day in 1958, CND was publicly launched at Westminster's Central Hall. Although there had been little advance publicity, 5,000 people turned up to support the campaign.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
That same month, graphic designer Gerald Holtom presented preliminary sketches of a symbol to represent the campaign a circle bearing a symbol formed from the semaphore signs for N and D. On Good Friday, CND held its first march on the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston, proudly displaying the symbol that would be adopted by peaceniks and protesters around the world.
Membership boomed as more countries joined the arms race and the counterculture of peace and love encircled the word in the 1960s. The campaign faded away somewhat in the 1970s, but returned with a vengeance in the 1980s as the Cold War hotted up again. The US deployed cruise missiles to its bases in Europe; the UK government embarked on its farcical campaign of “Protect and Survive”, printing booklets exhorting citizens to paint the windows white and, effectively, hide under the bed to escape a horrible, lingering death from radiation poisoning (for more, see Raymond Briggs’ When the Wind Blows).
-
Four AI ETFs to buyIs now a good time to buy AI ETFs? We examine four AI ETFs that investors might want to add to their portfolio
-
Chase boosts easy-access interest rate - savers could earn 4.75%Chase is offering a boosted interest rate which is fixed for six months, on top of the standard variable rate
-
31 August 1957: the Federation of Malaya declares independence from the UKFeatures On this day in 1957, after ten years of preparation, the Federation of Malaya became an independent nation.
-
13 April 1960: the first satellite navigation system is launchedFeatures On this day in 1960, Nasa sent the Transit 1B satellite into orbit to provide positioning for the US Navy’s fleet of Polaris ballistic missile submarines.
-
9 April 1838: National Gallery opens in Trafalgar Square
Features On this day in 1838, William Wilkins’ new National Gallery building in Trafalgar Square opened to the public.
-
3 March 1962: British Antarctic Territory is created
Features On this day in 1962, Britain formed the British Antarctic Territory administered from the Falkland Islands.
-
10 March 2000: the dotcom bubble peaks
Features Tech mania fanned by the dawning of the internet age inflated the dotcom bubble to maximum extent, on this day in 2000.
-
9 March 1776: Adam Smith publishes 'The Wealth of Nations'
Features On this day in 1776, Adam Smith, the “father of modern economics”, published his hugely influential book The Wealth of Nations.
-
8 March 1817: the New York Stock Exchange is formed
Features On this day in 1817, a group of brokers moved out of a New York coffee house to form what would become the biggest stock exchange in the world.
-
7 March 1969: Queen Elizabeth II officially opens the Victoria Line
Features On this day in 1969, Queen Elizabeth II took only her second trip on the tube to officially open the underground’s newest line – the Victoria Line.
