Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania. She studied biology and zoology at Pennsylvania College for Women and Johns Hopkins University.
Carson began her career as a scientist working for the US Bureau of Fisheries, where she wrote radio scripts about marine life. Her first book “Under the Sea Wind” was published in 1941.
Carson’s second book, The Sea Around Us, was published in 1951 and won the National Book Award. It has been translated into more than twenty languages and is still considered one of the most important books ever written about our oceans.
Carson’s third book, Sea’s Edge, was published in 1955. This landmark work describes the plants and animals that live along shorelines and at sea level—from sand dunes to coral reefs—and explains how they have adapted over time to survive in their particular habitats.
Carson’s fourth and final book was Silent Spring (1962). This sparked a national debate over the use of pesticides, pointing out that they are harmful not only to pests, but also to humans who may inadvertently ingest them through foods treated with pesticides such as DDT, which were previously sprayed on crops such as apples or grapes.
