The sand that (almost) killed millions

On the cover of the February 1951 issue of Popular Science, a headline read, “Can ‘Death Sand’ Win Battles?”

Author Alden F. Armagnac wrote about the potential for the US military and its allies to use their evolving understanding of nuclear weaponry to move beyond fission bombs and thermonuclear devices. One such weapon was “Death Sand,” a radioactive powder spread like farm pesticides from a crop duster.

Understanding how we got to Death Sand requires going back in time to examine the evolution of human violence and war. In the latest video from our Popular Science YouTube channel, we tell the story of not only Death Sand’s failure to make it to the battlefield, but the story of warfare and how we use fear to gain power.