Rachel Carson Publishes Silent Spring

Marine biologist Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, documenting how synthetic pesticides, particularly DDT, entered food chains, accumulated in animal tissues, and caused reproductive failure in bird populations. Serialized in The New Yorker before book release, it provoked fierce opposition from chemical manufacturers. The book sold over 600,000 copies in its year and prompted President Kennedy to commission a science advisory committee review. It contributed directly to the 1972 U.S. ban on DDT and the 1970 creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.