Health & Wellness

Rachel Carson

Scientist, author, and activist

In 1962, Rachel Louise Carson’s  (1907–1964) revolutionary volume Silent Spring sounded an alarm. The shells of birds’ eggs were being perilously weakened by exposure to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), Carson warned; if environmental protections weren’t enacted around synthetic pesticides developed during World War II, nature’s delicate balance would be disrupted and humans would awaken to a silent spring. The book has sold millions of copies since publication, galvanizing environmental movements in the United States and beyond.

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, 1962

author
Carson, Rachel
Description
The book Silent Spring by biologist and nature writer Rachel Carson was published in 1962. Carson's research on the effect of insecticides (specifically DDT) on bird populations coupled with her moving prose made Silent Spring a best-seller, though chemical companies attacked it as unscientific. While noting the benefits of pesticides in fighting insect-borne disease and boosting crop yields, Carson warned about the invisible dangers of indiscriminate insecticide use and its unintended effect on nature. The publication of Silent Spring led to an increased public awareness of humanity’s impact on nature and is credited as the beginning of the modern environmental movement, leading to the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970 and the banning of DDT in 1972.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Joan E. Boudreau
date published
1962
ID Number
2013.3104.01
nonaccession number
2013.3104
catalog number
2013.3104.01
Object Name
book
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
cloth (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 22 cm x 15.8 cm x 4 cm; 8 21/32 in x 6 7/32 in x 1 9/16 in
National Museum of American History
subject
Science
Environmental Movement
Environmental History
Record ID
nmah_1453548
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ad-ed97-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Discover Her Story

Join the Because of Her Story community. You'll get the latest news, updates and more delivered directly to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Close