The Bygone Society Show
This podcast examines the seedy underbelly of history's forgotten places and people. Each episode is rife with murder, intrigue and a reality beyond our everyday. Requirements to join the society include an appreciation for in-depth research and lurid tales of yore. Our gracious and ghoulish host, Kate, will take you back to a time that refuses to die. This is The Bygone Society Show.
The Bygone Society Show
Episode 5: Radium Girls Part 1
There was a time, exactly 100 years ago, when the naturally occurring radioactive metal — radium — was thought to be a medical marvel that promised restored health, the eradication of cancer and a youthful glow to boot.
Its safety was tested by scientists, its use cases vouched and recommended by doctors. And yet nothing could have been further from the truth.
Today’s story is a cautionary tale against “the end-all and be-all cure.” It shines a light on corporate greed, and exposes the dangers in blind trust.
It’s a tale as old as time. And yet, we still find ourselves trusting, believing. Maybe because it’s easier to believe stories that make you feel safe.
This is not that story.
I’m Kate Naglieri. Welcome to The Bygone Society Show.
Show notes:
The Radium Girls: And Illinois Tragedy
https://www.nprillinois.org/equity-justice/2018-01-25/the-radium-girls-an-illinois-tragedy
Brittanica (radium chemical element)
https://www.britannica.com/science/radium
The Radium Girls: A Tale of Workplace Safety
https://sites.law.duq.edu/juris/2019/12/01/the-radium-girls-a-tale-of-workplace-safety/
The National Bureau of Standards and the Radium Dial Painters
https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/jres/126/jres.126.051.pdf
Mae Keane, One of the Last Radium 'Radium Girls' Dies at 107
https://www.npr.org/2014/12/28/373510029/saved-by-a-bad-taste-one-of-the-last-radium-girls-dies-at-107
Radium City documentary (available on Vimeo)
The Hartford Republican news clipping (1926)
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86069313/1920-10-22/ed-1/seq-3/#words=Radium%2B%2Bradium%2B%2Bradium%2B
Research, writing and hosting by Kate Naglieri
Production and sound by Jamie Eichhorn
Follow The Bygone Society Show on Instagram @thebygonesocietyshow and on Substack @thebygonesocietyshowpod
