Rachel Carson was an American biologist, conservationist, and writer who did not find her way to success on a traditional path. Through a series of assignments where she wrote about scientific topics for a public audience, she began receiving acclaim for her sharp eye for issues affecting the population. When she published Silent Spring in 1962, Carson sparked a movement to end the widespread use of chemical insecticides and herbicides. She died only 18 months after the publication of the book at the age of 56.