Send us Fan Mail 💬 In the early 20th century, radium was hailed as a wonder substance. Young women landed well-paid jobs painting glow-in-the-dark watch dials with it, even putting their brushes between their lips to keep a fine point. Years later, their teeth began falling out, their bones started disintegrating and the horrifying truth about radium emerged. ⚡ In this episode we hear from Kate Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The Radium Girls. She tells the remarkable story of the women who took on the powerful companies that had employed them - fighting for justice even as many were seriously ill and dying. Their fight changed our understanding of radiation and helped shape protections for people working with radioactive materials. More than a century later, scientists are still studying the Radium Girls to understand the effects of radiation - with their story even helping inform research into how to protect astronauts travelling to Mars. Find Kate’s book here: https://www.kate-moore.com/the-radium-girls Don't miss an episode - subscribe now: https://podfollow.com/what-we-did-before About the podcast: What We Did Before is a podcast exploring the history of everyday life, from how we kept food fresh before fridges, to how we survived without shoes and what came before AI. About your host: Ollie Guillou is an award-winning podcast producer and broadcaster. He's co-founder of OG Podcasts, working with the likes of New Scientist, Dr Karan and Lessons From Our Mothers. Connect with Ollie: Website: www.ogpodcasts.co.uk LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ollie-guillou Email: hello@ogpodcasts.co.uk Image Credits: Dial painter with radium-induced cancer of the knee. (Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, sourced from Deadly Glow) Charlotte Purcell, a dial painter in Ottawa, Illinois, demonstrates lip-pointing. (Chicago Daily Times, courtesy of Sun-Times Media) A dial painter with radium-induced sarcoma. (Collection of Ross Mullner) The New Jersey “Radium Girls.” From left: Quinta McDonald, Edna Husmman, Albina Larice, Katherine Schaub and Grace Fryer on June 4, 1928. (CHR, National Archives, Chicago) The Ottawa “Radium Girls” with Attorney Leonard Grossman. (Chicago Daily Times, courtesy of Sun-Times Media) The dial-painting studio in Orange, New Jersey, in early 1920s. (CHR, National Archives, Chicago) The bedside court hearing at Catherine Donohue’s home. (Chicago Daily Times, courtesy of Sun-Times Media) The lower jawbone of Mollie Maggia, the first death among the New Jersey “Radium Girls.” (American Weekly) Las chicas del radio pintando - Leslie Cardew, Daily Herald Archive, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Amelia maggia 2 - Mlumbrox, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Undark luminous paint - TheBeSphereOfCourse, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium, 1916; advert Wellcome L0016771 - See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium, 1913; advert Wellcome L0016768 - See page for author, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 via Wikimedia Commons Radium-palp: Travus, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 via Wikimedia Commons Learn more about the ArtMuse podcast here: https://www.artmusepodcast.com/ Thanks to Grace Anna for partnering with us! Support the show
