Marie Curie

Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie for their work on radioactivity. She later won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the elements radium and polonium. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win it twice, and the only person to win in two different scientific fields.

Born in Warsaw in 1867, she studied in Paris and married Pierre Curie in 1895. Together, they conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, a term she coined. After Pierre’s death in 1906, she continued her work, becoming the first woman professor at the University of Paris.

During World War I, she developed mobile radiography units to help field hospitals. She founded the Curie Institute in Paris in 1920 and another in Warsaw in 1932. Marie Curie died in 1934 from aplastic anaemia, likely due to radiation exposure from her research. She was entombed in the Paris Panthéon in 1995, and the synthetic element curium is named after her.

Life and career

Maria Salomea Skłodowska was born in Warsaw, in Congress Poland in the Russian Empire, on 7 November 1867. She was the youngest of five children in a family of teachers who faced financial difficulties due to their involvement in Poland's fight for independence. Her father taught mathematics and physics, and despite losing his job because of his strong Polish views, he continued to teach his children at home.

Because women were not allowed to attend regular universities, Maria and her sister Bronisława joined a secret school called the Flying University. Maria worked as a tutor and governess to support herself and later helped her sister pay for her medical studies in Paris. Finally, in 1891, Maria moved to Paris to begin her own studies. She worked very hard, often studying by candlelight and barely earning enough to live on.

In Paris, Maria met Pierre Curie, and they soon married. Together, they studied a mysterious kind of energy called radioactivity, discovered by Henri Becquerel. They discovered two new elements, which they named polonium after Maria’s homeland, Poland, and radium, from the Latin word for "ray." Their work changed science forever. In 1903, they shared the Nobel Prize in Physics, and in 1911, Maria won a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry—the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes.

During World War I, Maria used her knowledge to help doctors treat wounded soldiers. She created mobile X-ray units, often called “Little Curies,” and trained women to operate them near battlefields. After the war, she continued her research and traveled the world to share her discoveries. Sadly, Maria passed away in 1934 from an illness likely caused by her long exposure to radiation. Today, she is remembered as one of the greatest scientists of all time.

Legacy

Marie Curie's discoveries changed science and medicine. Her work helped create modern nuclear physics, cancer treatments, and radiography. Scientists still use her methods to study radioactive materials.

Curie faced many challenges because she was a woman in science. She inspired other women by mentoring them and supporting their education. She was known for her honesty, often giving away her awards and prizes to help others in science.

Commemorations

Marie Curie has been honored in many ways around the world. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences: Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911. Many awards, schools, and places carry her name today.

The unit of radioactivity, the curie, and the element curium are named after her. Schools, streets, and even a metro station in Paris bear her name. She has been featured on stamps and banknotes in many countries, and her life has inspired books, films, and plays. In 2026, it was announced that her name will join other famous women on the Eiffel Tower in Paris.