Podcast Summary: Ridiculous History

Episode: That Time Everyone Loved Radium: What Could Go Wrong?

Release Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Ben Bowlin & Noel Brown
Super Producer: Max "The Radiation" Williams

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the bizarre and cautionary saga of humanity’s early obsession with radium—a radioactive element discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie and hailed as a miracle substance in the early 20th century. Ben and Noel trace radium’s journey from groundbreaking scientific discovery to the widespread “radium fad” that saw it marketed in everything from cosmetics to soft drinks, and finally to the devastating public health scandals that followed. Through fascinating anecdotes, wry banter, and notable case studies like the “Radium Girls” and Eben Byers, the hosts unpack how scientific ignorance, unchecked capitalism, and a dash of human optimism collided in this truly ridiculous episode in history.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Discovery of Radium and Its Early Promise

⏰ [01:00] – [02:49]

• Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898 (as well as polonium—a substance 300x more radioactive than uranium), not understanding just how dangerous it was.
• Scientific context: Early applications included treating cancer and aiding new X-ray technology.
• Ben: “It is safe to say they weren’t sure what they were getting into.”

2. From Science to Miracle Product: The Radium Craze

⏰ [05:51] – [16:51]

• Once radium’s luminosity became known, it entered the mass market as a cure-all and a sign of technological sophistication.
• Marketing parallels: Ben and Noel liken the blind rollout of radium to more recent tech crazes, e.g., the AI buzz or slapdash use of “digital” in the 1990s.
• Noel: “Let’s just give it a try. Who knows? We don’t have to worry about the knock-on consequences. We’ll figure that out later.” [06:42]

3. Everywhere You Look, There’s Radium

⏰ [07:30] – [16:51]

• Radium used in:
  • Watch and clock dials (radium paint for glow-in-the-dark features)
  • Cosmetics (makeup, nail polish, even on teeth for parties)
  • Water (as “Liquid Sunshine” and Radithor)
  • Chocolate bars (in Europe)
  • Creams, salts, suppositories, household paints, light switches, toys
• Ben: “If you drink Lacroix, you don’t really have room to talk. No, it was the Lacroix of its day. It just happened to have radium in it for sure.” [21:19]
• Fad products made incredible (and false) health claims.

4. The Radium Girls and Workplace Tragedy

⏰ [32:26] – [46:44]

• US Radium Corporation’s Undark Paint:
  • Women (dial painters) routinely ingested radium by “lip-pointing” brushes to paint tiny watch numerals.
  • Management knew of radium’s dangers—lab workers and executives avoided exposure.
• The story of Grace Fryer:
  • She and her coworkers began suffering horrific symptoms; management insisted everything was fine while encouraging them to wear and use radium paint as a sort of brand ambassadorship.
  • Memorable quote:
    • Grace Fryer (recounted by Ben): “Our instructors told us to point them with our lips. I think I pointed mine about six, six times to every watch dial. It didn’t have any taste, and I didn’t know it was harmful.” [41:34]
  • Her activism led to lawsuits—the “Radium Girls” sued for damages, and their case directly led to stronger worker safety regulations and ultimately, the creation of OSHA.
  • Sadly, Grace died at just 34 years old as a result of radium poisoning.

5. Eben Byers: The Cautionary Tale of an Influencer

⏰ [47:12] – [52:03]

• Wealthy businessman and “amateur golf champion” Eben Byers began taking Radithor to treat an arm injury on his doctor’s advice—drinking an average of three bottles a day.
• Gruesome results:
  • “His whole upper jaw except two front teeth and most of his lower jaw had been removed. All the remaining bone tissue of his body was slowly disintegrating and holes were actually forming in his skull.” (Quote from FTC investigator Robert Wynn, read by Noel) [49:37]
• Ironically, Byers evangelized the product to friends, giving it to horses and business partners.
• Byers’s high social status brought attention to the dangers of radium, prompting government action.

6. Regulation & Reckoning

⏰ [52:03] – [55:48]

• High-profile cases (Grace Fryer, Eben Byers) finally led to lawsuits and prompted both public outrage and government action.
• Federal Trade Commission filed against makers of dangerous radium products—not for poisoning, but for fraud and false claims, reflecting regulatory limitations of the era.
• Ben: “This ultimately leads to OSHA. This leads to workers’ rights.” [55:10]
• Previously, consumer protections (like the modern FDA) didn’t exist—companies abused the knowledge gap for profit.

7. Reflections: Science, Capitalism, and Human Folly

⏰ [56:01] – End

• The hosts reflect on how scientific discoveries can be rapidly commercialized without consideration of long-term effects, drawing parallels with other fads (like mercury) and warning against repeating such blunders.
• Side note: The infamous “Radioactive Boy Scout” and the continuing presence of hazardous materials in everyday items.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Noel: “There’s a whole lot of eff around and find out. And oftentimes you have folks like Marie and Pierre finding out not in the best possible way for science.” [02:49]
• Ben (on marketing excess): “At some point you’re seeing it mentioned on the tins for medicine, you’re seeing it advertised as a feature of industrial products...consumers and corporations [loved] the luminescent properties. Radiation poisoning aside, it’s great for that!” [07:30]
• Ben (on human curiosity and folly): “There’s something that’s always baffled me about humanity...Humanity runs into every new discovery, and some member of the species says, also, we should see if we can put it in our butts.” [28:00]
• Noel (on awareness lag): “The reason we know about Grace is because she was the one who stood up and spoke up and became sort of a figurehead for all of the voiceless workers…” [44:37]
• FTC Employee Robert Wynn, read by Noel (on Eben Byers):
  • “His whole upper jaw except two front teeth and most of his lower jaw had been removed. All the remaining bone tissue of his body was slowly disintegrating and holes were actually forming in his skull. A more gruesome experience in a more gorgeous setting would be hard to imagine.” [49:37]
• Noel: “The case against Bailey Radium Laboratories was actually filed by the Federal Trade Commission...They just didn’t have the mechanisms at this time to necessarily pursue them for putting out poison and not saying that’s what it was. So they had to get them almost on, like, I don’t know, fraud, false claims. That’s exactly right.” [53:13]
• Ben (final takeaway): “Despite the grisly ends that Grace Fryer, the Radium Girls, and Eben Byers met, yet their suffering did lead to positive change…stuff like government regulations, like, hey, freedom.” [52:03]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:00] — The Curies’ discovery of radium
• [05:51] — Radium as a “miracle” marketed product
• [07:30] — Luminescent properties and mainstream adoption
• [21:07] — Radium beverages (Liquid Sunshine, Radithor)
• [32:26] — Radium in household goods and children’s toys
• [39:04] — Who were the “Radium Girls”? Explanation of their job and exposure
• [43:27] — Grace Fryer’s realization and activism
• [46:44] — Legal case & outcome for the Radium Girls
• [47:12] — Eben Byers and the tragedy of Radithor
• [52:03] — Societal impact, emergence of regulation, and FTC lawsuits
• [55:10] — Discussion of OSHA, regulatory legacy
• [56:01] — Reflections & parallels to other hazardous fads (e.g., mercury)

Tone and Style

• Conversational, irreverent, witty.
• Frequent winking asides and pop culture references (e.g., Fallout video games, “Lacroix of its day”).
• Deep empathy for those harmed, skepticism toward unchecked capitalism and marketing hype.

Summary Takeaways

• Radium’s story is a powerful warning: An era’s greatest scientific wonders can become its greatest health threats when optimism, ignorance, and profit-seeking intersect.
• Regulation exists for a reason: Without public outcry and legal battles like those fought by the Radium Girls, dangerous pseudoscience can wreak havoc unchecked.
• Humans are endlessly inventive—and often blindly trusting: The radium fad reminds us to ask questions, do our homework, and consider the true costs of the next “wonder invention.”

For more, listen to the full episode of Ridiculous History on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform.