Over the last 200 years numerous common domestic products containing uranium and other radioactive isotopes have become part of our everyday world, though we rarely discuss them. Important aspects of modern science (power generation, medical research and nuclear weapons) are conventional examples of how central these materials are to how we live today. We’ll cover a brief introduction to concepts of atomic structure, radioactivity and nuclear reactions of these isotopes, and discuss the role of various elements such as radium, tritium, uranium, plutonium and some that may be new to you such as actinium and polonium. Learn how some radioactive elements became parts of spacecraft power systems and weapons, while others have important roles to play in health and medical care from “the miraculous” to quackery! Finally, we’ll look at the potential hazards radioactive isotopes play in modern life.