By skyforbes 
Nowadays, most people know that radium products are incredibly harmful, and that radiation can kill you. However, this wasn’t always the case. In the early 20th century, radium paint was used on many household objects, and no one gave it a second thought. That is, until factory workers who were exposed to radium paint started to die. These Radium Girls, as they’re referred to, often perished from radiation poisoning, and those who didn’t fought stringently against it. They eventually won the battle, but at a great cost.
Interestingly, when radium was first discovered, it was actually thought to be healthy. Radioactive medicine was all the rage, and no one suspected that it was actually slowly killing them. Dangerous x-rays conducted at the time further exacerbated the effects of this radioactive quackery, so if you had been exposed to the poison, seeing a doctor actually made it worse. When the Radium Girls found that they had this sickness, they chose to fight back against those who inflicted it upon them – the corporations.
These women were heroic, tragic, and important figures in our history, and their stories should never be forgotten for as long as they remain glowing in their graves.