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 Madame
Curie shared with her husband, Pierre Curie, the honors for discovering
two radioactive elements, radium and polonium. The discovery of
these elements laid the foundation for future discoveries in nuclear
physics and chemistry.
Marie Sklodowska was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland.
Her early years were strongly influenced by her parents, who were
both educators. She later joined with Faculty of Sciences at the
Sorbonne. This made Marie the first woman to teach at the university
level in France. |
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The Nobel Prizes
1911 Marie Curie was the first woman to win two
Nobel prizes. More
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A Contribution to the French
War Effort -- X-Rays
Marie devised advanced courses and radiology
and taught doctors new techniques. More
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- Physician and Chemist
Marie and Pierre Curie worked together in an extended investigation
of radioactivity.
- Early Years in Poland
Poland was an occupied and divided country throughout much of
Marie Curie's life. Marie's father lost his job for advocating
independence from Russia.
- Her Struggle for Higher Education
Under Russian control, Polish women could not attend college.
Marie's sister, Bronya went to Paris to study and later helped
Marie with her education. Despite a limited knowledge of French,
Marie succeeded with honors at the Sorbonne, where she graduated
with degrees both in mathematics and chemistry. It was still very
difficult, as a woman, for Marie to find work.
- Pierre and Marie: Their Life Together
Pierre was a leader in science when he met Marie; he had discovered
the principle of piezoelectricity which is used in the crystal
pickup of a record player. Pierre and Marie were married on July
26, 1895. They later had two daughters, Irene and Eve.
- Discovery of Polonium
1898
Marie's legacy to science is that she correctly speculated that
the radiation spontaneously released from the ore was nuclear
rather than atomic.
- Discovery of Radium
For four years they boiled, stirred, poured and distilled tons
of pitchblends to produce a tiny amount of radium.
- The First Nobel Prize
1903
The Curies and Henri Becquerel received the Nobel Prize for physics
for their work on radioactivity, and Marie was granted her doctorate
the same year.
- Pierre's Death
1906
On April 19, 1906, Pierre was killed in a street accident when
he walked in front of a team of horses.
- Trips to America
Marie founded the Radium Institute in Paris. Because the Curies
had not patented the rights to Radium, or the process to produce
it, Marie had to make several trips to America to raise funds.
- Marie's Philosophy
Marie was a "positivist," rejecting theoretical speculation
about human problems in favor of positive, observable facts.
- Marie's Death
1934
Marie later had to cut back on her official duties, due to poor
health. She died peacefully on July 4, 1934 in a nursing home.
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