On May 27, 1907, Rachel Louise Carson was born on a small family farm just up the Allegheny River from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

As a pioneering biologist, she drew a direct line from pesticides to the death of songbirds and inspired EDF’s founders to ban the pesticide DDT.

In her life, Rachel Carson took a brave stand against powerful forces. She accused the chemical industry of spreading lies and misinformation — and the government of uncritically accepting the industry's claims. 

And truth prevailed. Her 1962 groundbreaking book Silent Spring captured the imagination of millions of people — and the rest is environmental history.

Dive deeper into Rachel Carson’s legacy with EDF president Fred Krupp and read his EDF Voices blog post.

Cheers to Rachel Carson and all of our environmental heroes!

Anne Russell Gregory
Manager, Online Member Engagement

P.S. You can celebrate Rachel Carson’s birthday this weekend and everything she and EDF founders accomplished protecting wildlife, the environment and our health. When you donate by Monday at midnight, you can receive a free book that celebrates the connection between Rachel Carson’s work and EDF’s early years.