10 Facts About Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson was a noted marine biologist and made many contributions to the field. She was also very concerned about the environment and things that people were doing to harm it. The environmental movement was started by Carson and is still gaining momentum today.

1. Marine Biologist

Rachel Carson was best known as a marine biologist. She started her career as a marine biologist at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries and was respected by many experts in her field.

2. The Sea Around Us

Carson was also a prolific writer, having written many different works about the world, nature and animals. She was a skilled nature writer and has been credited with starting the environmental movement. Rachel became a full-time writer in the 1950’s. One of her most praised books, the bestseller The Sea Around Us, garnered her not only financial security but also recognition as a gifted and talented writer.

3. Trilogy of Books, Best Sellers All

Rachel Carson wrote a trilogy of books, bestsellers all, which won her a reputation as a knowledgeable scientist and as a great author. The first book was Under the Sea – Wind (1941), followed by The Sea Around Us (1952) and The Edge of the Sea (1955). These three books described ocean life from the deepest parts of the sea to the sandy beaches and coastlines.

4. Conservation Movement

In the 1950s, Rachel Carson turned her attention to the conservation movement. One of the greatest things about Carson’s involvement in the conservation movement was the mass exposure she garnered for it with mainstream Americans, attention the conservation movement might not have gotten without the care of Rachel Carson.

5. Silent Spring

Carson published a book, entitled Silent Spring, in 1962, which outlined the problems associated with synthetic pesticides and what kinds of damage they caused the environment. The work called for a reversal in national pesticide policy and also helped establish the nationwide ban on several pesticides, including DDT, which was said to be one of the most volatile.

6. Creation of the Environmental Protection Agency

Many people credit the efforts of Carson and the books that she wrote for the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA. The movement that was begun by Carson led to its creation and ensured that there would be people who would support the agency and try to repair the damage done to nature by people.

7. Growing Up on a Small Farm

Many say that her birth and upbringing on a small family farm in Pennsylvania contributed to her fascination with nature and animals which, in turn, led her to study the things she learned about and to do the things she did. Her mother taught her many things about ponds, fields and the forests around the farm which inspired Rachel to continue learning.

8. Avid Reader

Rachel Carson was also an avid reader and a very good student. She loved books, especially books about nature so it was only natural that she would write. It was a way for her to express herself and also helped her gain a greater understanding of her subject.

9. A Loner and a Hermit

Carson wasn’t always popular and would have been considered by her classmates to be a loner and a hermit. She wasn’t disliked and hated by other students she just kept to herself. This was true of high school as well as Pennsylvania College for Women, now Chatham University. Her original major in college was English, but she changed to biology in 1928.

10. Career as a Writer

Rachel Carson’s first article was published when she was only 19 years old. She began her career as a writer very early and got a lot of attention throughout her life for her writing.