Talk: The unlikely history of radium
In this talk Lucy Jane Santos tells the fascinating, curious, and sometimes macabre story of radium from its rise as a desirable item to its gradual downfall through the eyes of the people who bought, sold and eventually came to fear it. This talk will take you journey into the odd areas where science and consumerism touch, as well as telling a more nuanced tale about the entrepreneurs and consumers in radium’s history who have until now been considered quacks, or fools, or both.

Lucy Jane Santos is a freelance writer and historian with a special interest in popular science and the history of everyday life. She writes and talks (a lot) about cocktails and radium. Her debut non-fiction ‘Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium’ will be published by Icon in July 2020.
Date: 19 September 2019, 18:00 (Thursday, 21st week, Trinity 2019)
Venue: History of Science Museum, Broad Street OX1 3AZ
Speaker: Lucy Jane Santos
Organising department: History of Science Museum
Organiser contact email address: events@hsm.ox.ac.uk
Part of: History of Science Museum Events
Topics:
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.oxforduniversitystores.co.uk/product-catalogue/history-of-science-museum/events/the-unlikely-history-of-radium-6pm-thursday-19-september
Cost: £7
Audience: Public
Editor: Robyn Haggard