Thomas Midgley Jr.: The Man Who Accidentally Destroyed the Atmosphere

He was hailed as a genius, a visionary who solved some of the most pressing industrial challenges of the early 20th century. But today, Thomas Midgley Jr. is remembered as the man whose inventions did more harm to the Earth's atmosphere than any single human before him.

In this riveting biography, Thomas Midgley Jr.: The Man Who Accidentally Destroyed the Atmosphere, James G. Edwards II unravels the life, work, and legacy of a brilliant chemist whose groundbreaking innovations—leaded gasoline and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)—unleashed environmental disasters still felt around the globe. With meticulous research and captivating storytelling, this book explores how a man celebrated for progress unwittingly poisoned the air we breathe and tore a hole in the ozone layer.

Was Midgley a product of his time—guided by profit and prestige over principle—or the cautionary symbol of science without foresight? Through intimate portraits, corporate secrets, and the ethical dilemmas of invention, this book tackles the enduring question: can genius and catastrophe share the same hands?