A descendant of Issac Newton, Eunice Foote revolutionized climate science and joined the women’s suffrage movement while raising two daughters. Foote is most known for discovering that carbon dioxide trapped heat in the atmosphere.
But her research was overlooked for years in a world powered by coal, kerosene and crude oil.
Kansas author Lindsay Metcalf wants to revive this overlooked story in her new book, "Footeprint: Eunice Newton Foote at the Dawn of Climate Science and Women’s Rights." Through a poetic narrative, Metcalf captures the perseverance of Foote at a time when women were not allowed equal rights to men.
“So my mind goes to all of the what ifs. What if people had listened to her and thought ahead to what was coming?” Metcalf told KCUR’s Up to Date. “It's not clear she knew exactly how groundbreaking she was, but she persisted because she knew she had something to give the world.”
Metcalf's book is being released on Tuesday, Feb. 10 and she will hold a book signing Feb. 15 at the Learning Tree.
- Lindsay H. Metcalf, author of "Footeprint"
