Episode 20: When Radium Was Put in Everything

The discovery of Radium in 1898 opened up new frontiers of science and medicine. But the sheer difference between the behaviour of radium and every element that had been discovered before, led to wild claims about its properties. These claims, and the mystery surrounding the new element, led to a period sometimes known as the ‘Radium Craze’. For decades, this potentially dangerous element would be used for medical experimentation and in consumer products, with news of its effects - real and exaggerated - making headlines around the world. Guest: Lucy Jane Santos is a historian whose work ranges across beauty, science, technology, popular entertainment and nightlife, uncovering fresh angles and new insights into the moments that have shaped the modern world. Cats present: Napoleon, Cecilia Useful links: https://lucyjanesantos.com https://lucyjanesantos.com/half-lives/ https://daily.jstor.org/the-serpentine-career-of-loie-fuller/ https://fuel-design.com/publishing/soviet-sanatoriums/ https://www.theradiumgirls.com/the-girls Do you like our podcast? Then please leave us a review, it helps us a lot! Host: Gareth Edwards More about Gareth Edwards: https://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-history#host To comment and ask questions, please join our community: https://untitled-history.com/supporters Use our code: Rabbit and get one month free as a Captain, or join as a free member. Support via Paypal: http://battleguide.co.uk/untitled-paypal Merchandise and Shop: https://untitled-history.com/collections/all Our WW1 Podcast: @NSQPod Our WW2 Podcast: @BSOWPod Battle Guide YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BattleGuideVT If you want to keep your finger on the pulse of what the team at Battle Guide have been getting up to, why not sign up to our monthly newsletter: https://battleguide.co.uk/newsletter Gareth socials BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/garius.bsky.social Mastodon: https://mastodon.me.uk/@garius Battle Guide Twitter: https://x.com/BattleguideVT General Enquiries: [email protected] Credits: - Host: Gareth Edwards - Editing: Hunter Christensen - Production: Linus Klaßen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices