logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2025
50m 45s

That Time Everyone Loved Radium: What Co...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

Fellow Ridiculous Historians, we all know the inspiring and tragic story of Marie Curie -- however, not everyone is familiar with the absolute boom in radium-associated merchandise, which took the world by storm before the public understood the dangers of radiation. In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into a bizarre tale of capitalism, marketing, and consequence: let's call this parable 'The Radium Era.'

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
The Fascinating History of Fountain Pens
Nowadays, most people take pens for granted. They're always around if a business needs you to sign something, and people accidentally steal or lose them constantly. Yet the humble pen has a backstory thousands of years in the making. In today's episode, Ben, Noel, and Max trace e ... Show More
36m 33s
Oct 10
CLASSIC: Meet Albert Cashier, the Trans Man Who Fought for the Union in the Civil War
Born as Jennie Hodgers with a female sex assignment on December 25th, 1843, Albert Cashier emigrated to the United States lived as a man from his early teens on through the rest of his life. Despite the massive prejudices of the time, he managed to find support in his local commu ... Show More
28m 26s
Oct 9
Ridiculous Stuff We Didn't Get To in 2026, Part Two: Apple Trees, Ice Cream Wars and Weird Nuclear Gadgets
How much do you know about the inner chaos of Carvel or Ben Cohen's quest to free Ben and Jerry's? Why are apple trees so different from one seed to the next? In the second part this special two-part series, Ben, Noel and Max explore more of the Ridiculous History they didn't get ... Show More
28m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2020
Glow
At the intersection of scientific advancement and tragedy is the story of US Radium and the young women who stood up to them. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
27m 29s
Jan 2022
26: Women Were Poisoned by Their Job for Years: The Radium Girls
When Radium popped on to the scene in the early 1900s, it was called “liquid sunshine” and a “mythological superbeing.” Why? Because it was incredibly powerful and literally glowed. But then a few companies had the bright idea to start making watches with it. Today, Bailey tells ... Show More
39m 57s
Jul 2021
The Radium Girls
tail spinning
45m 32s
Mar 2023
The Radium Girls
we all know today that radium in a very dangerous substance , but way back in the early1900s , it was seen as a miricle element , a health suppliment , and even could increase sexual vitality , it was also used to paint watch dials and many other instruments for the army , and th ... Show More
25m 37s
Jun 2020
Tatum Salt Dome: Nuclear Explosions on U.S. Soil
<p>Most people have heard of Three Mile Island — but what about the multiple other nuclear events on US soil? Join Ben and Matt as they explore the strange, largely untold story of the Tatum Salt Dome.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpod ... Show More
58m 43s
Dec 2023
How the Radium Girls Fought Back
Cautionary Book Club: Mollie Maggia's dentist planned to remove a painful abscess from her mouth. But to his horror, her jawbone disintegrated at his touch, crumbling and splintering until it resembled ash. Like hundreds of her colleagues, Mollie had been slowly poisoned by her w ... Show More
40m 46s
Feb 2022
Marie Curie: The Mother of Radioactivity
Polonium for Poland and Radium for the rays. Marie Curie was a Pole and scientist through and through. But as a woman in the early 20th century, her contributions in discovering two elements nearly went unknown. Support the show: https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/hindsight/ 
44m 7s
Mar 2023
10: Fatal Dose: Three Tales of Radiation Poisoning
A child with a deadly capsule. A rich playboy who lost his jaw and then his life. A fuel plant worker who absorbed more radiation than anyone in history. We're telling three stories about one of the deadliest forms of energy and the people that shouldn't have gone near it. Listen ... Show More
25m 7s
May 2022
EP320: An "Ordinary" Cloth With An Extraordinary Story, Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women and Family is at the Heart of this Brewing Icon, The Coors'
On this episode of Our American Stories, Chris Graham of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia tells the story of one of their objects on display with an extraordinary story we're just now finding out. Kate Moore, author of “Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s ... Show More
38m 15s
Aug 2020
Marie Curie, Double Episode Revisit
If Amazon Prime's movie Radioactive has you curious about Marie's REAL story, we joined our two episodes of her, broke them into chapters, and created this one mega-Marie deep dive into her life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
2h 48m