1.2.6 Myths of radiation

Watch the following video.

Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie at the end of the nineteenth century and was one of the first radioactive elements to be identified.

While scientists endeavoured to understand the nature of radioactivity, some were quick to capitalise on its perceived properties. Radium was a brand new element unlike any that had been seen before and seemed to have near magical properties.

Many of these inventions seem bizarre to us today! We have come a long way in our understanding but misconceptions still swirl around radioactivity nowadays.

You’ll have a chance to consider the public perception of radioactivity in the next section.