This was normal in 1920…

In the 1920s, people believed that radium had health benefits. Radium-laced products were sold as cure-alls, from radium water to radium toothpaste. The radioactive element was marketed as an energy booster and health tonic. Companies produced radium chocolate, radium bread, and even radium suppositories. The wealthy paid premium prices for these “therapeutic” products.

It wasn’t until the tragic deaths of the “Radium Girls” — factory workers who painted watch dials with radium paint — that the public began to understand the true danger. These women were told the paint was harmless and even encouraged to lick their brushes to keep a fine point.

Many suffered horrible deaths from radiation poisoning, with their bones literally disintegrating. Their courage in fighting for justice led to landmark workplace safety legislation that protects workers to this day.

The radium craze stands as a powerful reminder of how marketing can override common sense, and how corporate profits were once valued above human lives.