Name/Title
Radioactive ringDescription
At the end of WWII there was great interest in the powers of atomic energy with little understanding or respect for the dangers.
In 1947 the KiX cereal company offered The Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring as a mail-in promotional prize for 15 cents and a box top. The ring functioned as a miniature spinthariscope to allow kids to view the radioactive decay of a small amount of polonium-210. When alpha particles from the decaying polonium struck a zinc sulfide screen inside a dark viewing chamber tiny visible flashes of light could be seen by the young viewers.
Polonium-210 has a half-life of only 138 to 140 days and is safe to handle after that period but remains the material Soviet agents now use as a poison.Create Date
September 29, 2026Update Date
September 29, 2026
