The Dark Glow of Radium

The craze for radiation and its victims

Eben Byers had it all. He was the son of a Gilded Age industrialist, raised in luxury and educated at the country’s finest schools. He was an excellent athlete; he’s a winner of the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, on a list with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. He took over his dad’s iron factory and established himself on the New York soc…