the true story about the watch factories of death

THE WAR       THE ELEMENT       THE CRAZE       THE GIRLS       THE LAWSUIT       THE EFFECT       references

THE YEAR IS 1917.

Mexico has just adopted its first constitution. The first streetcars take to the road in San Francisco. And the world is at war.

The United States has just officially entered the war against Germany and things are getting heated. Long gone are the days of knights and cavalry charging by daylight, preparing to smash themselves into the oncoming enemy. Instead, WWI soldiers were at attention day and night, hiding and fighting and dying in trenches just outside of German territory.

Soon a problem arose: how to see their compasses and watches at night. Of course, American ingenuity knows no bounds, and soon an answer was presented...

RADIUM.

Yeah, you read that right. Everyday Americans were in the business of handling one of the most radioactive and toxic chemicals on the face of the earth.


Now, you're probably thinking, "But it was still early days and no one could have known how dangerous it was. It's just like the problem with lead paint or spraying down beaches with gallons of pesticide." Maybe... maybe.


But what happened once they did find out how lethal their newfound products were? And what did companies do when they were face-to-face with the fact that their workers were dying slow and painful deaths because of their negligence and lack of protection?


Let's find out.