This volume explores the history of radioactivity through the biographies of those who discovered its elements and potential, including Marie and Pierre Curie, Becquerel, Klaproth, Lord Rutherford and Geiger. The author discusses the development and use of radioactivity in all forms, such as atomic bombs and piles, in radiotherapy, in carbon dating, in food irradiation, as tracers, and in industry and agriculture. As well as the benefits, the controversy that has raged over the dangers of radioactivity is exposed in reports of disasters such as Chernobyl, ultimately confronting the political nature of dealing with radioactivity today.