Rachel Carson was a scientist who made people realize how much pesticides are hurting the environment. She become known worldwide for her books that told about the things that she saw happening to the earth.

She was born in 1907 in Pennsylvania. At an early age she knew that she was a good writer. She won a writing award at the age of 10. She started college as an English major, but decided to change to a science major. She began studying zoology. She graduated from college in 1929.

She wanted to find a job where she could combine her writing skills with her love of science. She taught for a short while and then worked for a summer on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. She loved the sea and wanted to do something that would be connected to the sea.

In 1935 a tragedy happened. Her father died and she decided to take over the care of her mother and two small nieces. This was during a hard time in the United States. The great depression was going on and things were hard for everyone. She got a job with the Bureau of Fisheries in Washington. She wrote an essay and that later became the core of a book. The first important book that she wrote was called The Sea Around Us.

This book was written in 1951 and made Rachel a famous author. Her great writing skill was combined with a scientific understanding of the sea. The book was best seller for a long time and won the National Book Award. Rachel wanted to do two things with the money. She bought a new microscope and a cottage in Southport, Maine.

She moved to Southport and wrote and worked there for much of the rest of her life. She continued to write books about the sea and continued to sell lots of books. She was famous by now.

Rachel learned about what the pesticide DDT was doing to the environment. She studied the effects if was having on the subject and wrote perhaps her most famous book. It was called Silent Spring and it was either loved or hated. The chemical companies hated it and said that Rachel was not qualified to say that DDT was harming nature. However, many people who read the book thought it was correct. The chemical was banned from use after the public became aware of the problem.

Rachel died in 1963. A wildlife refuge was named for her along the Maine coast.

Adams, Herb and Verde, Tom. Maine's Claim to Fame. Augusta: Maine Department of Education, date on publication not available.