By Aurora Chan Grade 10
Whether you are learning U.S. history this year, or in years past, you may have heard of the Radium Girls. These girls were teenagers who struggled for justice in court against the dial factory they once worked at. The highly radioactive element “radium” was founded by scientists Marie and Pierre Curie. Many experts saw radium as a “lifesaver” because it reduced tumor growth and believed that they had found the cure for cancer. Radium was also used in other products, such as, face creams, makeup, radium injections, radium water, radithor, which was an energy drink, and dial watches. These glow-in-the-dark dial watches allowed the military to read the time when it was dark. People in the 1920s referred to the radium as liquid sunshine because of its luminous properties. The radium girls would paint these watches and were well-payed in comparison to other jobs during the time. They would put the paintbrush in their mouth to mold the tip to a point allowing them to paint the small, detailed numbers. Unfortunately, this radium caused them to experience bone decay, especially in their jaws. One girl went to the dentist after experiencing mouth pain and the dentist had to remove her whole jaw because it was too decayed to fix. While this might sound horrible already, they also faced many other health related problems.
This year, the Lourdes Theatre Company performed “Radium Girls” for their fall show. It is a story of courage as these young girls fight for their day in court. The shows were at 7:00pm on Friday, November 21st and 2:00pm and 7:00pm on Saturday, November 22nd. Thank you for supporting your fellow warriors as they remembered the captivating story of “Radium Girls.”