Matches, Mad Hatters, and Ghost Girls (Achieve Article)

Radium Girls, working in a factory

In this article from Achieve, some of the most dangerous jobs of the Industrial Revolution are explored. The jobs of being a matchstick maker, hatter, and watch dial painter were exposed for their true harm to their employees in this article. Most of these side effects were caused by the chemicals that these people worked with. “Mad Hatters” for example, were called so because the solution of mercury they used on hat pelts was toxic and caused tremors, slurred speech, and erratic behavior. Matchstick makers were also exposed to a similarly dangerous chemical caustic enough to burn their jaws, disfigure their faces, and leave their wounds seeping with glowing toxin. Watch painters worked with a glowing, radioactive paint that when they were exposed to for long enough, made their bones crumble. This article clearly depicts the darker side of the Industrial Revolution, and can serve as a warning of damage we shouldn’t make our employees go through in the future.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which of these jobs do you think was by far the worst?
2. Which job do you think was the most impacting on the employees long term and short term?
3. What would you think if you were in one of these employees’ place, at a dangerous job?