The discovery of Radium in 1898 opened up new frontiers of science and medicine. But the sheer difference between the behaviour of radium and every element that had been discovered before, led to wild claims about its properties.
These claims, and the mystery surrounding the new element, led to a period sometimes known as the ‘Radium Craze’. For decades, this potentially dangerous element would be used for medical experimentation and in consumer products, with news of its effects - real and exaggerated - making headlines around the world.
Guest:
Lucy Jane Santos is a historian whose work ranges across beauty, science, technology, popular entertainment and nightlife, uncovering fresh angles and new insights into the moments that have shaped the modern world.
Cats present:
Napoleon, Cecilia
Useful links:
https://lucyjanesantos.com
https://lucyjanesantos.com/half-lives/
https://daily.jstor.org/the-serpentine-career-of-loie-fuller/
https://fuel-design.com/publishing/soviet-sanatoriums/
https://www.theradiumgirls.com/the-girls
The period of the Second Temple was a time of cultural change for Jewish communities, including in how they regarded concepts such as magic and demons. But evidence for what that meant on the ground was limited until the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946, and the wealth of scholarship that followed.
The picture painted is of a society looking to understand how the world, and the beliefs of other cultures around them, should be considered in relation to the Hebrew bible and beyond.
Guest
Tupá Guerra is a Brazilian historian specializing in demons on the Dead Sea Scrolls, with a PhD from the University of Birmingham - UK. Tupá is also a public historian and has been recording podcasts since 2015, mostly in Portuguese.
Cats present
None
Useful links
https://www.youtube.com/@umatupanotempo
https://open.spotify.com/show/5g9cA7pE0CKJPphPMkD0fF
Papers mentioned available to podcast members by request on our forum.