Holy Mary on a Mushroom Cloud Medal
Sometimes you come across an old item that makes you scratch your head and ask, “what the heck where they thinking?” Today in my batch of pictures of ready to add inventory from the warehouse I found this odd Catholic medal.
Invoke a Cold War Slogan, Put Mary on a Mushroom Cloud, but Remember to Stamp Peace on the Earth.
For those of you who aren’t 80 years old, the “Atoms for Peace” slogan comes from a speech given by Dwight Eisenhower. The speech basically was meant to scare the bejesus out of foreign countries while trying to soothe the concerns of ordinary citizens who feared being vaporized in a nuclear fire. The Atoms for Peace program lead to the proliferation of nuclear power to developing nations without their own technology…countries like Pakistan and of course, Iran. [sigh] …you see where this is going…
The first nuclear reactors were built by the American company American Machine and Foundry, better known as AMF…which also produced those cute little tricycles shaped like rockets in the 1950′s. So be sure to thank your grandparents for financing today’s nuclear fears coming out of Tehran…but back to the medal.
The oddity of the medal got even more bizarre when I saw the picture of the back of it, which features an embossed image of the Archangel Michael trampling Satan.
St. Michael getting ready to slay Satan to protect Israel from the nuclear threat created by Atoms for Peace.
I suppose you can’t entirely lay the blame on the Eisenhower administration for today’s current nuclear tensions in the middle east, but it is ironic, just like this medal. It’s as if the maker of this medal was a bit torn about the Atoms for Peace program and had a bit of inner conflict about the outcome of Atoms for Peace. One side featuring an image of atomic war with a call for peace and the other showing Michael protecting Israel from their greatest modern threat?
Anyway, it’s a great odd little medal. Oh, and if you’re looking for a good idea for a full-back tattoo, the image of Mary floating on a mushroom cloud sure would make a statement.
