How much trust was there in electricity, flight and radioactivity when we discovered them?
Not much.
Plenty of people were against electricity when it started becoming common. They were terrified of lamps, doorbells, telephones, or anything else with an electric wire. If they were compelled to use these things (like for their job) they would often wear heavy gloves to protect themselves. It is very occasionally mentioned in novels from the late 1800's.
(Edit: If you'd like to see this played out visually, watch the early episodes of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on ABC [.oz])
There are still people afraid of electricity today. There is no shortage of information on the (ironically enough) internet about how to shield your home from the harmful effects of electrical wires, both in the house and utility lines.
Flight? I dunno about back then, but today there's plenty of people who are afraid to fly. If you live in Las Vegas for a while, you start to notice private train cars occasionally parked on the siding near the north outlet mall. These belong to celebrities who are afraid to fly, but have to go to Vegas for work.
Radioactivity? There was a plethora of radioactive hysteria in books, magazines, comics, television, movies, and radio. It's not hard to find.
Not much.
Plenty of people were against electricity when it started becoming common. They were terrified of lamps, doorbells, telephones, or anything else with an electric wire. If they were compelled to use these things (like for their job) they would often wear heavy gloves to protect themselves. It is very occasionally mentioned in novels from the late 1800's.
(Edit: If you'd like to see this played out visually, watch the early episodes of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on ABC [.oz])
There are still people afraid of electricity today. There is no shortage of information on the (ironically enough) internet about how to shield your home from the harmful effects of electrical wires, both in the house and utility lines.
Flight? I dunno about back then, but today there's plenty of people who are afraid to fly. If you live in Las Vegas for a while, you start to notice private train cars occasionally parked on the siding near the north outlet mall. These belong to celebrities who are afraid to fly, but have to go to Vegas for work.
Radioactivity? There was a plethora of radioactive hysteria in books, magazines, comics, television, movies, and radio. It's not hard to find.