MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • September 27, 2020
Sept. 27, 1962: The publisher Houghton Mifflin releases aquatic biologist, nature writer and conservationist Rachel Carson’s seminal book “Silent Spring.” Carson (1907-1964) was a summer resident of Maine’s Southport Island, where she owned a cottage overlooking Sheepscot Bay. The chemical industry was aghast about it because of its conclusion that pesticides, while necessary at some level, are harming the environment and endangering people. The New Yorker published three long advance excerpts from the book in consecutive issues in June, raising public alarm and prompting the chemical companies to launch a campaign to discredit the book and destroy Carson.