FACTArchive β†’
They sold radioactive water as a health tonic πŸ’€
FACT
@fact5
Dark HistoryJul 25, 2026

They sold radioactive water as a health tonic πŸ’€

They sold radioactive water as a health tonic πŸ’€ . . . From 1918 to 1928, Radithor β€” distilled water dosed with radium β€” was marketed as an energy booster. Pittsburgh steel heir Eben Byers drank ~1,400 bottles. By 1932 his jaw had disintegrated and holes had opened in his skull. He was buried in a lead-lined coffin.

See it on Facebook →← All facts
Source

The Wall Street Journal, 1932, 'The Radium Water Worked Fine Until His Jaw Came Off'; also Time Magazine, 1932, obituary of Eben Byers

Share β†’ X Reddit WhatsApp Threads Facebook
Spot an error? Email hello@thefact5.com with a source β€” we correct visibly.
KEEP SCROLLING

More strange facts ✦

Quaker Oats fed radioactive breakfast to disabled boys. ☒️
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
Quaker Oats fed radioactive breakfast to disabled boys. ☒️
You could buy amphetamine at a US drugstore until 1959. πŸ’Š
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
You could buy amphetamine at a US drugstore until 1959. πŸ’Š
Your breakfast cereal has a stranger backstory than you think. πŸ₯£
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
Your breakfast cereal has a stranger backstory than you think. πŸ₯£
Coca-Cola used to contain actual cocaine. πŸ₯€
FACT
@fact5
Dark History
Coca-Cola used to contain actual cocaine. πŸ₯€
The Hiroshima of K-19
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
The Hiroshima of K-19
The Man Who Wouldn't Bother a Doctor
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
The Man Who Wouldn't Bother a Doctor
Fauja Singh, a British-Indian marathon runner born on April 1, 1911 in Punjab, completed the 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hours and 11 minutes at the age of 100, becoming the first centenarian reported to finish a marathon distance, though Guinness did not ratify the record due to the lack of a birth certificate.
FACT
@fact5
Unbelievable Records
Fauja Singh, a British-Indian marathon runner born on April 1, 1911 in Punjab, completed the 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8 hours and 11 minutes at the age of 100, becoming the first centenarian reported to finish a marathon distance, though Guinness did not ratify the record due to the lack of a birth certificate.
A bear, a lion, and a tiger lived together for 15 years 🦁🐯🐻
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
A bear, a lion, and a tiger lived together for 15 years 🦁🐯🐻
A surgeon was killed by the elevator inside his own hospital. πŸ₯
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
A surgeon was killed by the elevator inside his own hospital. πŸ₯
A stray cat has outlasted six British Prime Ministers. 🐾
FACT
@fact5
Animal Oddities
A stray cat has outlasted six British Prime Ministers. 🐾
A dropped wrench socket almost nuked Arkansas. πŸ’₯
FACT
@fact5
Science Gone Wrong
A dropped wrench socket almost nuked Arkansas. πŸ’₯
A woman got hit by a rocket and walked it off. πŸš€
FACT
@fact5
Ironic Twists
A woman got hit by a rocket and walked it off. πŸš€
🎲 Surprise me with another