August is Archaeology Month! Throughout August, we will be highlighting the archaeology of the Cold War as we unveil material remains of the past. Archaeology gives insight into history by voicing the involuntary (or voluntary) silence of the past. The Cold...
“The Gouzenko affair crippled Russian spy efforts in North America for more than a decade.”-Vasili Mitrokhin (former KGB archivist) In the waning days of the Second World War, Soviet cipher clerk Igor Gouzenko was becoming disenchanted with the Stalinist regime;...
“When the atomic bomb fell,day turned to night andpeople became ghosts.”Hatsumi Sakamoto, Third Grader,Hijiyama Elementary School, Hiroshima City, 1952 During the Cold War, people feared the devastating effects of nuclear war; many remembered the 1945 atomic...
. Did you know that there is no heating and cooling machinery inside the bunker to support day-to-day operations? The Bunker relies on the geothermal system from the earth around it for heating and cooling.Fun facts: The coolest day of the year inside the Bunker on...
Every February, the nation’s capital hosts Winterlude, a festival to celebrate the best winter has to offer. The first Winterlude was hosted in 1979, but before then, Canadian Forces Station Carp (CFS Carp, aka the Diefenbunker) had our own way of getting out into...
On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union detonated their first nuclear weapon, bringing them into the nuclear arms race that defined the Cold War era. This moment in history brought Cold War anxieties to the forefront in the United States – they were no longer the only...
Change is afoot at the Diefenbunker! One of the many new and exciting additions to the Diefenbunker, coming soon, is the Community Room on Level 400 - but, before I tell you more about this room, let me first introduce myself: My name is Vanessa, and for the month...
When the bunker was decommissioned in 1994 the secret was out. Everyone knew and heard about the Diefenbunker and what it meant for Canada’s survival. As the years have passed, many of its secrets have been revealed, but not all. As a result, there are a LOT of...
While scrolling through twitter this month I came across a thread that sparked some interest. A twitter user that we follow named Andrew King @twitandrewking had done some background research on Cherry Blossom candies. Like all Canadians, I recognized the candy but...
From September until January 2020, the Bunker welcomed Alison, a high school co-op student with a passion for history. For 4 months Alison worked on a new exhibit which has filled our “Treasures from the Diefenbunker” display case. During her 4 months here Alison...
