Maria Skłodowska-Curie is one of the most influential people in the history of science and not only... Why is she so well-known till this day?
Born in 1867 in Warsaw, she grew up in a strict family. Her father taught Maths and Physics, her mother ran a boarding school for girls. Although she was interested in science from an early age, women at the time could not study at universities, so Maria served as a governess, meanwhile continuing her self-education focusing on scientific subjects by reading books and articles. In 1891 she left for Paris, France to pursue her studies in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. She obtained a degree in both Physics and Mathematics at the Sorbonne University. A few years later she was prevented from getting a job at the Krakow University in Poland because of her gender. Fortunately, she got a job offer from the Sorbonne University and became the head of the Physics department. That’s where she met her husband - Pierre Curie, who was also a professor of Physics. They got married in 1895 and had two beautiful children Irene and Eve Curie.
In 1903 Pierre, Marie and Henry Becquerel won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their joint research on the radiation phenomena. Later on Marie and Pierre discovered radium and polonium (which Marie insisted on naming this way after her homeland). 3 years later Marie lost her husband in a tragic accident. Despite this she still continued her studies. In 1910 she produced pure radium which brought her the second Noble Prize – this time in Chemistry. She was the first person to win two Noble Prizes and one of two to win the Nobel in two different fields – Chemistry and Physics, as well as one of four to ever win multiple Nobles. During WWI she developed X-rays units called “Petites Curies” which helped millions of soldiers and were essential for the later development of medicine. She contributed greatly during the course of the war – she always helped as much as she could, not only by financially supporting the French Armed Forces, but also knitting socks for soldiers.
Madame Curie understood well that perfection was not something to be obtained by mere mortals, nevertheless, she worked tirelessly to advance the course of Science. She even once said “One never notices what has been done, one can only see what remains to be done”. Marie, apart from being an incredible scientist, enjoyed sports such as swimming or cycling. Curie was one of the first Polish mountaineers. She established routes in the Tatry mountains and was one of the first women to wear trousers when climbing them. She also played a vital role in women getting rights – she was among one of the first women to obtain a driver’s licence.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie died in 1934 at the age 66 due to aplastic anemia caused by radiation during her testing. Almost a 100 years have passed and Marie is still well known and appreciated. Albert Einstein once said that “Marie Curie is, of all celebrated beings, the only one whom fame has not corrupted”.
Zofia Juchniewicz
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