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Rachel Carson is born
Rachel Carson is born. -
Rachel's first story is published
The September 1918 issue of the St. Nicholas magazine (which could be at any date that month) publishes "A Battle in the Clouds, by Rachel L. Carson, Age Ten, Silver Badge Winner" in the St. Nicholas League. It is a true story about a Canadian pilot who kept flying after one of the wings of his plane got shot off in World War I. This event is important because Rachel knew that she could be a real writer. -
Rachel's second story is published
"A Message from the Front" is published in the St. Nicholas League. It wins a Gold Badge. -
Rachel's third story is published
"A Famous Sea Fight" is printed in the St. Nicholas League August 1919, listing Rachel Carson as an Honor Member of the League. -
Rachel starts college
Rachel started college in 1925 at Pennsylvania College for Women under a scholarship. This could have happened any time in the year, when her school started. -
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Rachel's first year at college
Rachel's first year of college started in 1925. It could have started anytime that year and ended sometime that or the next year. Grace Croff, her English teacher, became Rachel's favorite. -
Rachel chooses science
Some time in Rachel's second year of college, she reads a poem that says, "For the mighty wind arises, roaring seaward, and I go." She realized that her path led to the sea and turned her back on writing forever. This is important because Rachel decides to become a scientist and study the ocean. -
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Rachel's second year of college
In Rachel's second year of College, she took a science class. She enjoyed being outdoors just as much as she had when she was younger, but she also enjoyed indoor science lessons. But at that time people thaought the 'arts' and the 'sciences'. Rachel thought she had to chose between two fields. -
Summer after graduating
After graduating, Rachel gets to spend the whole summer at a research center in Woods Hole, Massachusets and work with real scientists by the sea. The sea was even better than she had dreamed it was. She also started on a project about reptile nerves. This event is important because Rachel sees the beauty of the ocean for the first time. -
Rachel goes to John Hopkins University
Rachel gets a full scholarship for John Hopkins University in Baltimore to get her Master's degree. Halfway through the year she gives up on her nerve project and decides to work with fish kidneys to earn her degree. -
Great Depression begins
Rachel was lucky to have two part time jobs at colleges when the Great Depression began. Her mother and father came to live with her in a house which she had rented. Within a year, Rachel's brother Robert came to live with them too. He worked places and one place he worked had no money, so they gave him a cat. Mitzi made Rachel and her mother laugh. -
Rachel gets her Masters degree.
Rachel finishes her egg report in 1932 with a 108-page report to go with it. She earns her Masters degree. This event is important because it means she can become a scientist. -
Rachel's father dies.
Rachel's father dies in 1935 and the Carsons are plunged into sorrow. Robert had moved away. Now, Rachel was the only support for her mother. This event is important because it means Rachel has to get a good job to help her mother. -
Rachel becomes a science writer
Because of her father's death, Rachel must get a job. Remembering an invitation from a man she had met on the way to John Hopkins, Elmer Higgins, she went to see him. There, scientists were writing radio shows about fish. Most of them wrote with fancy, scientific, hard to read words. Elmer Higgins knew Rachel was a scientist. He asked her one question. "Can you write?" Rachel got the job for $19.25 a week. -
Rachel gets a goverment job
Sometime afterwards, Rachel needed a full time job. Rachel got a goverment job by taking the civil service exam for the job of fisheries biologist. She was the only woman, but she scored higher than any of the men. She was hired. Elmer Higgins hired her to work in his office not as a biologist, but as a writer. -
Writes Undersea as an introduction to a booklet
Elmer Higgins asks Rachel to write an introduction to a booklet about fish. She works hard on it, and when she shows Mr. Higgins the introduction, he says it is too good and should be in a magazine instead of a little goverment booklet. -
She rewrites Undersea
Sometime in 1936, Rachel's sister Marion dies of pneumonia, leaving her two childern, Marjie and Ginny, as orphans. Rachel and her mother let the girls live with them. But they were running out of money. Rachel sold articles and none of them were published until one about bats was bought by Reader's Digest. Then Rachel rewrote Undersea and sent it to Atlantic Monthly. When the article came out in the magazine Rachel handed it to Elmer Higgins. He said it was too good. It should be in a book. -
Rachel starts on Undersea book
Rachel starts writing the book "Under the Sea Wind" After three years, it was done. -
Under the Sea Wind comes out
Under the Sea Wind comes out. -
World War II starts
Very little copies of Under the Sea Wind were sold because of the war. -
The Sea Around Us is started
After the war ended, Rachel decided to write another book. It would be for anyone who has ever longed to see the sea. -
The Sea Around Us is Finished
The Sea Around Us is finished and published in July 1950. This event is important because it showed lots of people what ecology was. -
The Edge of the Sea is finished
Rachel's new book, The Edge of the Sea, is finished and reaches bookstores. -
Silent Spring is started
Rachel learned about the many horrible things pesticides did to the environment. Although it killed weeds and pests, it also killed other animals. It was currently legal to sell poisonous pesticides. The owners of the companes that sold them said they were safe, and so did the goverment. Rachel got very sick and learned that she had cancer, and that it was going to kill her. She did research and found that pesticides caused cancer. The life of the world was in trouble, not only her. -
Silent Spring shocks the country
Silent Spring was done. It shocked the country and readers sent angry letters to the goverment, to newspapers, and to chemical companies. Pesticide makers were furious. President John F. Kennedy found out that Rachel was right, and new laws were made to limit chemical pollution. They would have to find other ways to control insect pests. This event is important because it made people realize the things they were doing to hurt the Earth. -
Rachel Carson dies
Rachel Carson dies on April 14, 1964.
