What They Had Discovered:

We now have the essentials to utilize radioactive elements. Roentgen gave us x-rays, Becquerel discovered radioactivity, the Curies were able to discover which elements were radioactive, and Rutherford brought about transmutation and the "splitting of the atom." All of these discoveries and curiosity came with a price. Time showed the damaging effects of radiation exposure and the incredible destruction that could be harnessed from these elements.