Ten fun facts about Rachel Carson

Fact 1
She began to write at the age of 8 and had her first story published by the age of 11.

Fact 2
Though she only graduated from a class of 45, she was at the top of her class in 1925.

Fact 3
Several conservation areas were named after her, including the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge.

Fact 4
She developed a close relationship with Dorothy Freeman, which was said to be just friends, but they destroyed their letters to each other shortly before Carson died.

Fact 5
In 1936, she became the second woman to ever be hired by the Bureau of Fisheries as a full time junior aquatic biologist.

Fact 6
She took care of her mother when her father died in 1935 and also cared for her two nieces when her older sister died in 1937.

Fact 7
Her book titled "The Sea Around Us" remained on the New York Times Best Seller List for 86 weeks and received several awards.

Fact 8
In 1957, after one of her nieces died, she was left to take on the responsibility of caring for her 5 year old son.

Fact 9
She was diagnosed with breast cancer and in 1964, doctors had discovered the cancer had reached her liver.

Fact 10
Although she was already deceased, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980.