René's URL Explorer Experiment

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"WebSite","@id":"www.mentalfloss.com","url":"https://www.mentalfloss.com","name":"Mental Floss","description":"Discover Cold War facts, trivia, and surprising stories on Mental Floss—content that entertains, educates, and satisfies your curiosity.","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Mental Floss","url":"https://www.mentalfloss.com","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/v1541941289/frontier/sites/logos/mental-floss-logo-120px-height.png"}},"inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntity":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war","url":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war","name":"Cold War Facts, History & Quizzes | Mental Floss","description":"Discover Cold War facts, trivia, and surprising stories on Mental Floss—content that entertains, educates, and satisfies your curiosity.","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPageElement","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war#main-content","name":"Main Content","description":"Discover Cold War facts, trivia, and surprising stories on Mental Floss—content that entertains, educates, and satisfies your curiosity."}}}

{"@context":"http://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.mentalfloss.com"}]}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/times-world-almost-ended","headline":"5 Times The World Almost Ended (But Didn't)","description":"From war games flagged as reality to solar storms, here are some of the world's most intense close calls in recent history.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eden Gordon"},"datePublished":"2026-03-25T22:00:02Z","dateModified":"2026-03-25T22:00:02Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/times-world-almost-ended"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/when-mr-rogers-taught-kids-about-nuclear-destruction","headline":"When Mr. Rogers Taught Kids About Mutually Assured Nuclear Destruction","description":"The celebrated children’s host aired segments in 1983 that demonstrated the perils of nuclear war in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jake Rossen"},"datePublished":"2018-12-20T18:30:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-12T19:04:36Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/when-mr-rogers-taught-kids-about-nuclear-destruction"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/wanderlust/creepiest-nuclear-site","headline":"12 of the Creepiest Nuclear Sites on Earth","description":"These Atomic Age sites—some of which are still dangerously radioactive—are a somber reminder of the dark shadow the threat of nuclear war cast on the world.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Lorna Wallace"},"datePublished":"2025-08-21T11:52:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-21T18:27:53Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/geography/wanderlust/creepiest-nuclear-site"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/fallout-shelters-history","headline":"The Brief, Terrifying Time Americans Went All In on Fallout Shelters","description":"Fears of nuclear war led to a fleeting craze for fallout shelters stocked with crackers, body bags, and guns.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jake Rossen"},"datePublished":"2025-08-16T14:01:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-16T14:01:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/fallout-shelters-history"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/fun/toys/retro-atomic-age-toys","headline":"7 Retro Toys From the Atomic Age","description":"From a dollhouse with a nuclear bunker to an atomic energy lab with real uranium, some of these toys from the ‘50s and ‘60s have us scratching our heads.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Kaeli Conforti"},"datePublished":"2025-08-13T12:01:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-13T12:01:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/fun/toys/retro-atomic-age-toys"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/quizzes/atomic-age-timeline-quiz","headline":"Quiz: It’s Almost Impossible to Put These Atomic Age Events in the Right Order","description":"How well do you remember how history played out at the end of World War II? ","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Kat Long"},"datePublished":"2025-08-10T15:59:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-10T15:59:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/quizzes/atomic-age-timeline-quiz"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/duck-and-cover-classroom-drill","headline":"Classroom Cold War: When Students Were Trained to “Duck and Cover”","description":"The nuclear anxiety of the 1950s led to two unlikely strategies: ducking under school desks and taking advice from a cartoon turtle.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jake Rossen"},"datePublished":"2025-08-10T10:04:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-10T10:04:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/duck-and-cover-classroom-drill"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/animals/insects/radioactive-wasps-discovered-nuclear-storage-site","headline":"Radioactive Wasp Nests Discovered Near Cold War-Era Nuclear Storage Site","description":"A shocking discovery was made at a nuclear facility: wasp nests contaminated with radiation.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"CaLea Johnson"},"datePublished":"2025-08-04T20:29:09Z","dateModified":"2025-08-04T20:29:09Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/animals/insects/radioactive-wasps-discovered-nuclear-storage-site"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/fallout-shelter-signs","headline":"Why Do We Still See Fallout Shelter Signs?","description":"Tens of thousands of fallout shelter signs, with three yellow triangles in a black circle, are visible on building façades today. They serve as grim reminders of the hottest flashes of the Cold War. So why are they still around?","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Tim Brinkhof"},"datePublished":"2025-08-03T14:01:00Z","dateModified":"2025-08-03T14:01:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/fallout-shelter-signs"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/7-close-calls-nuclear-age","headline":"7 Close Calls in the Nuclear Age","description":"Sometimes the military systems put in place to avert nuclear annihilation worked a little too well.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Floss books"},"datePublished":"2013-08-19T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2025-07-29T19:33:11Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/7-close-calls-nuclear-age"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/music/peppy-80s-song-vamos-la-playa-was-about-nuclear-war","headline":"The Peppy ’80s Song “Vamos a la Playa” Was Actually About Nuclear War","description":"The lyric “Vamos a la playa, todos con sombrero / El viento radiactivo, despeina los cabellos” translates to “Let’s go to the beach, everyone in a sombrero / The radioactive wind, messes up the hair.” ","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Arika Okrent"},"datePublished":"2016-07-20T12:30:00Z","dateModified":"2025-04-03T19:23:42Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/music/peppy-80s-song-vamos-la-playa-was-about-nuclear-war"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/space/secret-cold-war-history-missile-launched-americas-first-satellite","headline":"The Secret Cold War History of the Missile That Launched America’s First Satellite","description":"On January 31, 1958, the United States became a space-faring nation with the Explorer-1 satellite.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"David W Brown"},"datePublished":"2018-01-31T15:30:00Z","dateModified":"2025-04-04T19:21:57Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/space/secret-cold-war-history-missile-launched-americas-first-satellite"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/vietnam-war/questions-about-the-vietnam-war-answered","headline":"10 Questions About the Vietnam War, Answered","description":"The Vietnam War was a highly controversial conflict. We break down some of the most common questions about the war, from why the U.S. entered the conflict to who ultimately won.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Colin Scanlon"},"datePublished":"2025-04-04T16:01:00Z","dateModified":"2025-04-04T16:01:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/vietnam-war/questions-about-the-vietnam-war-answered"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/mccarthyism-facts","headline":"10 Suspicious Facts about McCarthyism","description":"McCarthyism advertised itself as a response to national security threats created by the Cold War, including Soviet espionage. But the movement was bigger than Senator Joseph McCarthy.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Tim Brinkhof"},"datePublished":"2025-04-01T18:01:00Z","dateModified":"2025-04-01T18:01:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/mccarthyism-facts"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/columns/greatest-escapes/greatest-escapes-with-arturo-castro-episode-2-the-spy-of-pimlico-transcript","headline":"‘Greatest Escapes With Arturo Castro’ Episode 2: The Spy of Pimlico","description":"Ed Helms (‘The Hangover,’ ‘The Office’) helps Arturo unfurl a daring escape from one of the Cold War’s most eccentric double agents: Oleg Gordievsky.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Greatest Escapes with Arturo Castro"},"datePublished":"2025-03-25T23:02:00Z","dateModified":"2025-03-25T23:02:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/columns/greatest-escapes/greatest-escapes-with-arturo-castro-episode-2-the-spy-of-pimlico-transcript"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/how-nickel-and-paperboy-brought-down-cold-war-spy","headline":"How a Nickel and a Paperboy Brought Down a Cold War Spy","description":"Soviet spy Rudolf Abel might have never been caught were it not for a Russian turncoat and a newspaper delivery boy who thought he’d been stiffed.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Soniak"},"datePublished":"2013-01-03T09:00:24Z","dateModified":"2025-02-19T17:26:33Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/how-nickel-and-paperboy-brought-down-cold-war-spy"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/cold-war-facts","headline":"11 Chilling Facts About the Cold War","description":"The U.S. and USSR employed spies, quelled internal dissent, made allies abroad, and stockpiled nuclear weapons in this proxy war.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Tim Brinkhof"},"datePublished":"2025-02-27T13:02:00Z","dateModified":"2025-02-27T13:02:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/cold-war-facts"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/education/presidential-fitness-test-origins-history","headline":"The Origins of the Presidential Fitness Test","description":"Almost as soon as it was introduced—and for generations after—the Presidential Fitness Test was absolutely traumatizing to students who had to endure it. Here’s how the program started—and ended.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Vince Guerrieri"},"datePublished":"2024-03-20T22:01:00Z","dateModified":"2024-03-20T22:01:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/education/presidential-fitness-test-origins-history"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/sting-russians-song-influence-oppenheimer-terminator-2","headline":"The Curious Link Between 'Oppenheimer,' The Terminator, and a Forgotten '80s Sting Tune","description":"For years, Sting’s 1985 anti-war song “Russians” seemed to be something of an afterthought. But it made a lasting impression on two future filmmakers and a pair of summer blockbusters released more than 30 years apart.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Kenneth Partridge"},"datePublished":"2023-07-27T21:03:55Z","dateModified":"2023-07-29T13:17:23Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/sting-russians-song-influence-oppenheimer-terminator-2"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/misconceptions/spies-espionage-misconceptions","headline":"4 Big Misconceptions About Spies","description":"No, spies aren't all focused on national security. Yes, the CIA did deploy a mission called Operation Acoustic Kitty.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Justin Dodd"},"datePublished":"2023-06-05T16:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-06-05T16:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/misconceptions/spies-espionage-misconceptions"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/fraggle-rock-first-american-tv-show-soviet-union","headline":"When 'Fraggle Rock' Spread Peace Throughout the Soviet Union","description":"In 1989, Jim Henson's 'Fraggle Rock' became the first American television series to air in what was then still the Soviet Union.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Vince Guerrieri"},"datePublished":"2023-02-02T21:00:19Z","dateModified":"2023-02-02T21:00:19Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/fraggle-rock-first-american-tv-show-soviet-union"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/howard-hughes-cold-war-cia-mission","headline":"When Howard Hughes Helped the CIA on a Top-Secret Mission","description":"In 1968, when the CIA needed help with an audacious Cold War operation, officials decided that eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes would be the perfect man for the job.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Brigit Katz"},"datePublished":"2023-01-04T00:14:24Z","dateModified":"2023-01-04T00:14:24Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/howard-hughes-cold-war-cia-mission"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/green-run-hanford-cold-war-nuclear-experiment","headline":"Green Run: When the U.S. Government Released Radiation in the Pacific Northwest","description":"In the 1940s, residents near Hanford, Washington, were getting dosed with the radioactive equivalent of Three Mile Island every day.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Jake Rossen"},"datePublished":"2022-06-16T21:00:10Z","dateModified":"2022-06-16T21:00:10Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/cold-war/green-run-hanford-cold-war-nuclear-experiment"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/weird/ufo-sighting-questionnaire-1952","headline":"Think You Spotted a UFO? See What the 1952 Questionnaire for Reporting Sightings Looked Like","description":"Project Blue Book's questionnaire had sections for describing UFOs and even sketching pictures.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Michele Debczak"},"datePublished":"2022-05-31T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"2024-10-15T18:53:58Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/weird/ufo-sighting-questionnaire-1952"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/everyday-words-came-from-ancient-egypt","headline":"9 Everyday Words That Came From Ancient Egypt","description":"The ancient language of the pharaohs died out centuries ago, but bits of it remain.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Hoffman"},"datePublished":"2026-11-12T19:00:02Z","dateModified":"2026-11-12T19:00:02Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/words/everyday-words-came-from-ancient-egypt"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/family-feud-behind-adidas-puma","headline":"The Wartime Family Feud That Created Adidas and Puma","description":"Irreconcilable differences led German brothers Rudi and Adi Dassler to part ways. The result was rival shoe empires.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Eden Gordon"},"datePublished":"2026-11-12T01:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-11-12T01:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/family-feud-behind-adidas-puma"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/folklore-mythology/real-mythology-helped-inspire-jrr-tolkien-elves","headline":"The Real Mythology That Helped Inspire J.R.R. Tolkien's Elves","description":"How Old Norse sagas, Anglo-Saxon poems, and Irish mythology helped J.R.R. Tolkien transform tiny Victorian fairies into the majestic Elves of Middle-earth.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Hoffman"},"datePublished":"2026-11-11T23:00:03Z","dateModified":"2026-11-11T23:00:03Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/culture/folklore-mythology/real-mythology-helped-inspire-jrr-tolkien-elves"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/books/kurt-vonnegut-best-worst-books","headline":"The Books Kurt Vonnegut Considered His Best—and Worst","description":"In 1981, Kurt Vonnegut gave his own books a report card from A+ to D. Here is how he graded his best work—and the self-portrait that got his lowest mark.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Matt Hoffman"},"datePublished":"2026-11-11T01:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-11-11T01:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/literature/books/kurt-vonnegut-best-worst-books"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/gilded-age-society-slang-decoded","headline":"From 'Dollar Princess' to 'The Four Hundred,' Decoding the Gilded Age's High-Society Slang","description":"Ever wondered what Gilded Age high society meant by \"dollar princess\" or \"the alum\"? Decode the 19th-century slang used in HBO’s 'The Gilded Age.'","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Paul Anthony Jones"},"datePublished":"2026-11-08T23:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-11-08T23:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/language/slang/gilded-age-society-slang-decoded"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/misconceptions/real-pocahontas-facts","headline":"5 Facts You Might Not Know About the Real Pocahontas","description":"Find out the real history of Pocahontas, from her true names (Matoaka and Amonute) to the truth behind John Smith’s famous execution story.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Colin Scanlon"},"datePublished":"2026-11-08T15:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-11-08T15:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/history/misconceptions/real-pocahontas-facts"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/food/foods-families-ate-during-gilded-age","headline":"6 Foods Families Really Ate During the Gilded Age","description":"From potted ham and boiled cabbage to diamondback terrapin and celery, discover what high society—and working-class families—actually ate during the Gilded Age.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Nitya Rao"},"datePublished":"2026-11-08T01:00:01Z","dateModified":"2026-11-08T01:00:01Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/food/foods-families-ate-during-gilded-age"}}

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/real-historical-figures-gilded-ag","headline":"10 Real-Life Historical Figures in HBO’s 'The Gilded Age'","description":"The HBO show 'The Gilded Age' features a number of people who really did live during the Gilded Age, from the real Mrs. Catherine Astor to Booker T. Washington.","author":{"@type":"Person","name":"Paul Anthony Jones"},"datePublished":"2026-11-07T23:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-11-07T23:00:00Z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.mentalfloss.com/entertainment/tv/real-historical-figures-gilded-ag"}}