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DDT was developed in the 1940s. It was first used in wartime to help control the spread of malaria, typhus and other diseases transmitted by insects. But with the end of World War II, the manufacturers sought commercial uses for the substance, hoping to tap into emerging markets.

At first, DDT was remarkably successful as an insecticide for crops and gardens.

But it wasn't clear what the effects might be on other organisms, including our own [source: EPA].

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Some scientists were alarmed, but the risks associated with the use of DDT were not widely known.

As early as the 1940s, Carson was one of those concerned that releasing a powerful poison into the environment might not be such a good idea.

As an employee of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Carson had read government reports on DDT and how it had not been tested for civilian use. And how it was killing animals and insects. She proposed an article on the subject to Reader's Diges