Radium light switches are probably not a good idea
I stumbled onthis 1917 ad while browsing Google Books last night. We have old pushbutton light switches in our house, which was built in 1911, but none of them glow in the dark. I guess our “modern house is not complete.”
Interesting story. For the record radium light switches die after a few years. Zinc oxide reacts with the radium to illuminate the switch. On old radium switches the zinc has fallen off and the radium does not glow anymore. However the radium will still be active for millions of years. Get a geiger counter to check, or take a UV flashlight and shine the tips of the switches in the dark, if they glow their radium.
Ooh. Interesting. Might have to check ours after all!