The Radium Girls

History Deserves to Be Taught & Remembered
Discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, the element radium was thought to be a miracle substance that could change the world. But little was known about the effects of long-term exposure to radium when thousands of women were employed painting luminous paint made with radium on clock and instrument dials.

Seriously Scary Radioactive Products From The 20th Century
The story of Ebenezer McBurney Byers is the tale of a rich man killed by overspending on trendy healthcare products that he thought would improve his health. Instead, these products contained radium, such as the radioactive tonic called Radithor. It was marketed as a sort of expensive energy drink, because it contained the very trendy element of radium, which was also being sold in other products across America. In this episode, we explore this tragic and more than a little bizarre series of events that killed Eben Byers.