In January of 1958 a gardener and birdwatcher in Massachusetts sent Rachel Carson a letter describing the dead birds she kept finding in her back yard. She believed they were dying from chemical exposure, specifically the pesticide DDT.
Prompted by the letter and her decades of work with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachel — a biologist, best-selling nature writer and recipient of the National Book Award — set to work. Her groundbreaking 1962 book Silent Spring described for the first time the lasting environmental and health effects of chemical pesticides, and paved the way to establishing the Environmental Protection Agency.
Read more about her environmental advocacy work in our BLOOM issue.