Lucy was presented with the Stephen Joseph Research award, and was the non-fiction writer in residence at the Stay-at-Home! International Literature Festival. She has also worked as a judge for the Historical Writers’ Association Non-Fiction Crown, is the co-founder of the Cosmetic History and Makeup Studies Network – a research group connecting those working on the history of the cosmetics industry – and the founder of the Art Deco Society UK, a not-for-profit company bringing lovers of Art Deco design together.

LUCY SANTOS IN THE MEDIA

Lucy’s knowledge and expertise has seen her in high demand for television, film, video games, and radio consultancy. As part of the collective of freelance historians, Lucy aims to add authenticity to any project through advice on props, costume, makeup, and dialogue.

She has contributed to a range of programmes, including the BBC 2 documentary, Makeup: A Glamorous History (2021), Villages By the Sea (2019-23), Mysteries of the Abandoned: Hidden America (2022), and the documentary Obsessed With Light (2023), which tells the story of performance artist Loïe Fuller.

LUCY SANTOS – WRITING

Lucy’s experience has also seen her contribute to publications such as The New York Post, History Today, and Vogue.

As of 2024, Lucy has two published books; the first, Half Lives: The Unlikely History of Radium, was released in 2020 and covered the history of radium in everyday life – the book was shortlisted for the BSHS Hughes Prize of 2021. She followed this up in July 2024 with Chain Reactions: A Hopeful History of Uranium, which traced past uses of uranium and how it intersects with our understanding of other radioactive elements.

LUCY SANTOS – SPEAKING

As well as her consultancy work, Lucy provides keynote speeches on a range of topics, from X-Ray hair removal, the history of illuminated dance floors, and nuclear cruise ships.

LUCY SANTOS – KEYNOTE TALK TOPICS

– The 20th Century’s Most Interesting Drinks

– The Age of Airships: Aviation Pioneers’ Race to Rule the Skies

– Art Deco London: Glitz and Glamour of the Roaring ‘20s and Beyond

– The Atomic City: Las Vegas, Nuclear Energy, and the Uranium Era

– The Atomic Odyssey: Tracing the Evolution of Nuclear Power

– Egyptomania: The 20th Century Obsession With Ancient Egypt

– The Electric Age: How Harnessing Electricity Transformed Society

– “Getting There is Half the Fun”: The Golden Age of Ocean Liners

– Ghoulish and Deathly Entertainments Throughout Modern Human History

– The Gold and Silver Age of Passenger Trains

– The History of 20th Century Commercial Air Travel

– The History of “Diets” and Healthy Eating

– The History of Fitness and Exercise

– The Legacy of Luxury Ocean Liners, Part II: The Classic Age

– The London Underground: History of World’s Oldest Transit System

– London’s Nightlife in the 1920s and 1930s

– Miracle or Menace? The Early History of Cocaine

– Nightlife in the Golden Age of Hollywood

– The Radium Era: Rise and Demise of Radioactive Quackery

– The Sacred Sweet: A Journey Through the History of Chocolate

– X-Ray Mania: How a Scientific Breakthrough Took Over Pop Culture

LUCY SANTOS – PAST CLIENTS

– Art Deco Society Los Angeles

– Art Deco Society UK

– Atomic Testing Museum

– British Society for the History of Pharmacy

– Bronxville Adult School

– History Camp America

– Hotsy Totsy Club

– Mobile Medical Museum

– National Museum of Nuclear Science and History

– New York Adventure Club

– New York Art Deco Society

– Warner Library

– Washington Art Deco Society

– Women’s Institute

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book historian Lucy Santos for your next live event or corporate video.

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