Panic Shelters - Why?

Right now we see a lot of fear in our society, but there isn't anything new under the sun. In fact, people have built panic rooms out of fear. Does it sound ridiculous? Yes, but when people think a nuclear bomb is going to hit their country they do that. 

They started in Egypt, actually, ancient Egypt. The pyramids had secret rooms to protect the Pharoah's treasures from thieves. This may not be the best example, but it's the first example. What is a panic room? It's a room that someone can run into when things go terribly wrong, most likely locking themselves in with provisions for weeks or days of hiding. This is going farther than "stay home" - it is barricading yourself in your house. I don't suggest doing this for anything short of a nuclear attack. Let's not go overboard on Covid19 protection, please! 

What They Were Used For

A Priest Hole in England, used to 

protect Catholic priests from persecution

Feudal Lords hid in them during sieges, bootleggers used them for speakeasies, Priests avoided persecution in them, they hid slaves from their owners, you avoid tornados in them, and they sheltered people from nuclear war and bombs. They have a longer history than you may think. We go right to the 1950s in our minds, but they were much older. There are several other words for them, including Castle Keep, Priest's Hole, Speakeasy, Tornado Shelter, and Fallout Shelter. 

Believe it or not, you can still buy one, and it can be as fortified and cozy as you want it to be. You just have to be obscenely wealthy. Again, I repeat, don't buy one for the Corona Virus! We are not that bad off, I promise! It is not cheap to have one, either. Cool, yes, but not cheap. You are looking at thousands of dollars if you want one, depending on the size and how comfortable and fortified you want it to be. You can also attach two bookshelves to french doors and call it a secret room for much cheaper. ( I kind of want to do that, actually, just to have a hidden reading room, so not technically a panic room. )

Sometimes people build rooms just to protect their stuff. High-end collectors may have expensive and rare artwork, antiques, books, and coin collections that they are trying to protect from thieves, much like the oldest example of a panic room, an anti-theft room in a pyramid. These can be climate controlled for private collectors. This gets really expensive, really fast.

When They Were Most Advertised

There was a time when you could find ads for Panic Rooms and Fallout Shelters commonly. The 1950s, during the Cold War, was that time. Amongst the ridiculous paranoia of nuclear war, the Fallout Shelter ads appeared. People hoarded food and necessities in there, enough for weeks. You could pay $5000 for a shelter with a toilet and Geiger counter. (Crazy! But, still, let's look at our society of people afraid to stand beside each other and think about that for a second.)

A Fallout Shelter Handbook

The hysteria is another subject I want to mention. The 1950s was a time that included the Arms Race, offensive ads towards women, bomb threat drills in schools, cartoons that taught people to "Duck and Cover", and fear of nuclear war with the Soviet Union. I'd say this time period is not the best time to be anybody. Children had to wear dog tags and duck under desks for bomb drills. You want paranoia? Here it is! 

Parting Thoughts

I know we just explored many uses for panic rooms, but lately, our society has been using their homes for panic rooms. We "social distance", sometimes wear masks, and possibly some may wipe down groceries and credit cards, all this in the name of Covid19. We shut down our society for this. Can we compare this to the 1950s paranoia for one hot second? This may be an unpopular opinion, but fear is running our society. Depending on where you live and how old you are, you may or may not agree, but I think fear is more contagious than Corona Virus these days, that is unless you are in a nursing home or have weaker health. I understand that we do need to protect those around us responsibly, but I am beginning to see too much similarity between now and the society we just discussed. Be safe, yes, and we do need to protect our elders and those of weaker health, but let's all keep our heads and common sense. I love you all and want us to be a sane society. 

Sources:

https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/panic-room5.htm

https://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/panic-room1.htm

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/02/the-ridiculous-history-of-cold-war-civil-defense.html

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