Marie Sklodowska Curie

2018

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Marie Curie, born Maria Skłodowska in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, was a pioneering physicist and chemist. Facing educational restrictions in Russian-controlled Poland, she worked as a governess to fund her sister's and her own studies in Paris.

At the Sorbonne, she excelled in physics and mathematics, meeting and marrying Pierre Curie. Together, they investigated radioactivity, a term she coined. Their groundbreaking work led to the discovery of polonium and radium.

Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, sharing the 1903 Physics Prize with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel. After Pierre's tragic death, she continued her research and became the first woman professor at the Sorbonne. She later won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating pure radium.

During World War I, Curie developed mobile X-ray units to aid wounded soldiers. She dedicated her life to scientific advancement, and her research laid the foundation for nuclear medicine and other fields. Marie Curie died in 1934 from aplastic anemia, likely caused by prolonged exposure to radiation, leaving an enduring legacy as a scientific icon.