Marie Curie (1867 – 1934) was a Polish physicist and chemist who overcame a gender discrimination in the sciences to conduct groundbreaking work on radioactivity. Her incredible scientific career awarded her two Nobel Prizes in two different fields and earned her the distinction of being the first woman to win the award.
Marie Curie was born in Warsaw to the parents of two teachers who were very interested in science. She was the top student in her high school, passionate about science, and wanted to peruse a higher education however there were obstacles in her way. She was unable to enroll in traditional higher education institutions because she was a woman and her family had little money to support her. To earn money for herself and to help support her sister’s studies she worked as a tutor. In her free time she read books on physics, chemistry and mathematics. In 1891 she departed Poland for Paris, France to join in studies with her sister. There she studies physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and once again was the top student in her class. She earned her Ph.D. in physics and in 1985 she married Pierre Curie. That same year Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays. The following year Henri Becquerel discovered a new type of ray, resembling that of x-rays yet different, emitting from Uranium.
Curie decided to study these new rays emitting from Uranium and made a handful of remarkable discoveries. Her husband became interested in her work and joined her. Their joint work resulted in the discovery of new two elements – Polonium, named for Curie’s home country Poland, and Radium, named for the word ray. They discovered that Radium would continuously produce heat without any chemical reactions occurring that it emitted rays in far greater quantity than Uranium. They term they coined for this phenomenon they were observing was radioactivity. The term stuck.
In December 1903 Marie Curie was the first woman ever to be awarded a Nobel Prize. Along with her husband Pierre, Marie won the prize in physics for her work in the field of radiation. The award brought recognition and money for the two scientists, however they would not be able to enjoy it for long. Pierre was killed in a tragic accident in 1906 when he was hit by a horse-drawn carriage while crossing the street. Marie Curie continued her scientific work after her husband passed away and was awarded a second Nobel Prize in 1911, this time in the field of chemistry. By now she had cemented her reputation as one of the elite scientists alive.
Curie continued to work up until her death in 1934 when she died from a rare bone marrow disease. The disease was likely cause by her long-term exposure to radiation without proper protection. Her legacy was that of one of the greatest scientists of the time and her work broke barriers for other woman to pursue work in the scientific fields of their choosing.
This is a great reminder of how easy women have it now. She was one of the greats!
So interesting! Thank the lord for how far we as women have come in this society!
I am actually inspired how women thinks now. So interesting. Didn’t have any probs on the gender thing when it comes to society as I see both equal. – just for me. We have inclinations on the norms but not surprised.
I don’t recall a lot of what I learned in science class in school. I do recall that Marie Curie was one of the few women from her time whose contributions to science we did learn about.
Marie Curie is actually my favourite scientist of all time! In a time when women were often ignored for their intelligence and scientific capabilities, Mme. Curie shot forward like a shining star and did the unthinkable.
I have always been inspired by Marie Curie. She followed her passions and changed the world in a time most women would never consider such a thing. The fact that she won 2 Nobels speaks volumes..even after she won the ultimate prize she didn’t stop!
Thank you for the reminder about Marie Curie! It has been a while since I read about her (and her husband’s) achievements. She’s an inspiration to all women!
I remember studying about Marie Currie a few different times throughout school. It’s amazing what she was able to do and overcome when society was working against her.
Women have taken great strides in history. We still have so far to go with equal pay and other rights with women of color. The sky is not the limit. We will continue to persevere.
What an incredible scientific career and to have earned the distinction of being the first woman to win the Nobel prize is amazing!
Marie Currie’s death is so ironic, but it shows how much of her life she’s given to Science. I am a dentist. I appreciate her contribution to my field.
I love educational read) this one will from now on be one of my favorites. A wonderful tribute to the beautiful and wise.
Such an important woman! This was a really interesting read, and great to hear the story of someone so inspiring.
Your post are always so interesting. As a nursing student, she is one of my heroes for sure.
I was so excited when I studied about Marie Curie in school. It was the first time I saw a woman in science.
I loved learning about her when I was younger. I did a paper on her in high school too!
Wow. She will always be an inspiration. First Nobel prize winner woman. And her ground breaking work as a scientist. We owe so much to her.
I enjoyed reading stories about Marie Curie when I was a kid. She was one of the reasons why I developed a keen interest for science during my grade school days. 🙂
Great inspiration to all of young females who tend to feel discriminated at work. So great to know about her
I always thought it was amazing that she was able to break though and be so prominent. I am a fan.
Well, till date, the first name that comes to mind when someone refers to Women of Science…. it is Marie Curie. Her contributions in the field of Science really did make history. For Women in Engineering she keeps on aspiring us to sustain and fight for the knowledge.