Canned Drinking Water, 1945-1955

01

Artifact Overview

The threat of nuclear annihilation hung over American society throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. The expectation was that people could actually survive a nuclear attack. People constructed fallout shelters in their basements and backyards across the country, and they were warned to stock food and water (like this can) to last seven days in case of attack.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Can (Container)

Date Made

1945-1955

Place of Creation

Creator Notes

Possibly packaged in California.

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in Your Place in Time

Object ID

90.276.2

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Henry J. Prebys.

Material

Metal
Paint (Coating)

Color

Gray (Color)
Black (Color)

Dimensions

Height: 4.875 in
Diameter: 2.688 in

Inscriptions

PROPERTY U.S. GOV'T | EMERGENCY | DRINKING | WATER Contract No. N383-155s-77754 | Specification No. MIL-W-15117A INTERNATIONAL PACKING CORP.