Marie Curie

Marie Curie was born Maria “Marya'' Sklodowska to a mathematics and science professor who taught Marya and her siblings how to use scientific equipment. Not only was Marie raised in an environment that placed great value in education, but also one that was notably proud of Polish culture.  Born in Warsaw, Poland under the Russian occupation, Curie was adamant in the preservation of polish language, history, and culture. 

The limitations she faced as a girl in Russian-occupied Poland did not end her pursuit of higher education and knowledge. Known for her impeccable memory and brilliance in literature, science, and mathematics, Marie Curie was able to graduate from an all girls’ school at age 15. Following her graduation, she attended an underground night school known as the Flying School in order to avoid detection by Russian imperialists. The Flying School notably included Polish history and language in its curriculum, which was forbidden at the time. Such acts of resilience evidently follow Curie for the rest of her life.

Marie Curie and her sister soon felt that the Flying School was not a sufficient alternative to receiving an education at a university, but found that women were not permitted to study in a university at poland. They then grew interested in the Sorbonne in Paris, but lacked the funds to attend the school. The resilient sisters, however, refused to accept defeat and instead created a plan that would allow both of them to attend the Sorbonne. Their plan included a system in which one sibling would go to Paris and study, while the other sibling would stay in Poland and work to earn money. Marie Curie worked as a tutor and governess to help pay off her sister’s education, but continued her studies through books of Chemistry and Physics. 

Marie Curie began her degree in Physics at the Sorbonne once her sister graduated as a doctor and was able to pay for Marie’s education. Her time at the Sorbonne was riddled with issues: she resided in a cold, narrow attic, survived on bread and tea, and had to work as a tutor and clean glassware in labs to make ends meet. Additionally, the classes at the Sorbonne were taught in French, so she had to work harder than her peers to understand the material that was taught. Despite the challenges she faced, Marie Curie graduated first in her class and pursued a degree in mathematics the following year. 

In her search for a laboratory to conduct her research in, Marie Curie met Pierre Curie, whom she would later marry in 1894. She wore an untraditional blue cotton dress to her wedding as it was most practical to wear in a lab after the wedding ceremony. The continuation of the value of education and perseverance in her family is evident in the accomplishments of their children. They had their first daughter, Irene, in 1897, who would later win a Nobel Prize for synthesizing new radioactive elements, and their second daughter, Eve, in 1904, who would go on to become a journalist and publish a biography on her mother, Madame Curie. Marie Curie, and notably not Pierre Curie, received heavy criticism for spending more of her time reading scientific publications and researching in her laboratory than in a nursery with her children. The continual of her studies and research despite such discouragements eventually led to groundbreaking discoveries in science. 

Following Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-rays in 1895, Becqurel observed mysterious X-ray-like emissions from rocks containing Uranium. Marie Curie, with the assistance of Pierre Curie, formed a revolutionary hypothesis that the rays are likely an atomic property of Uranium, challenging the fundamental idea that atoms are indivisible. She later coined the term “radioactive” to describe the elements she was studying. Her continued research in radioactivity led to the discovery of two more elements with greater radioactivity than Uranium: Polonium, named after her home country, Poland, and Radium. In 1903, Marie Curie became both the first woman to earn a doctoral degree in France and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics. She would later win her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating pure radium. 

1906 marks the year of Pierre Curie’s tragic death. Marie Curie offered his role at the Sorbonne and became the first woman to be a professor at the Sorbonne. Rejecting an offer to work in Warsaw, she begins the process of building a research laboratory in memory of Pierre, during which World War I breaks out. Making use of her  abilities, Marie Curie established eighteen portable x-ray stations to treat soldiers on the front lines, and sometimes operated the machines herself. By the end of the war, Marie would establish over two hundred more x-ray posts. 

Marie Curie continued her research until her death in 1934, which is said to be a result of her extended exposure to radioactive materials. Marie Curie and her contributions to science serve as an inspiration for aspiring scientists around the world today.