Living History: Rachel Carson

Earth Day began in 1970, but the credit for its origination likely was Rachel Carson’s best-selling book, Silent Spring, written in 1962. 

Friends of the Edgewater Library recognized Carson’s contributions on Saturday, April 11, in celebration of Earth Day, with a free, online program, “Silent Spring and the Birth of the Modern Ecology Movement.” The living-history program was set in 1963 with actress and historian Leslie Goddard portraying Carson.

Thanks to the magic of technology, we were able to record Leslie’s performance. This was our first foray into a long program recorded on Zoom, and since we had some technical difficulties during the initial take, Leslie generously re-recorded the performance so that everyone can watch uninterrupted. See the video below.

You can learn more about Rachel Carson at her website and from a series of videos produced by PBS and listed on their “American Experience” Rachel Carson page.