Marie Curie is one of the world’s best known female scientists. She was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867 and died in Paris, France in 1934 at the age of 66. What she’s most known for today is her pioneering work in the field of radioactivity, which included
• The discovery of radium and polonium • The isolation of pure radium • The development of X-ray machines
In this post, we’ll run through some facts about the famed scientist who’s still a widely celebrated figure today.
Early Life
Marie was born in Poland and was the youngest of five. Her mother died from tuberculosis when she was 10 years old. She was a gifted child and had a passion for science-based subjects. Her father, a maths and physics teacher, encouraged her to pursue her interests, but he couldn’t afford to send her to university. Marie worked as a governess and by the age of 4, she had saved up enough money to take the train to Paris and study at university. She enrolled at what is now the Sorbonne and ended up getting two degrees: one was in physics, the other in maths. She devoted herself to her studies and lived quite a meagre life, taking a job cleaning glassware in labs to make ends meet and even rationing her food.
Never Distracted
Some people like to go on their honeymoon right after they get married. Not Marie Curie. She got married to Pierre Curie in a small civil ceremony that took place in 1895 and was attended by a few close family members and friends. For the ceremony, Marie wore a simple blue cotton dress that didn’t just look nice, it was also practical enough that she could carry on her laboratory work after the marriage ceremony was over.
Marriage Scandal
Shortly before Marie accepted her second Novel Prize, she was going out with Paul Langevin, a former student of her then-deceased husband. The only problem was that Langevin was married. In the days leading up to the prize ceremony, Langevin’s wife decided to make the relationship between Curie and her husband public knowledge. There were concerns that she might not attend the ceremony, though she did end up going, thanks in part to an encouraging letter from none other than Albert Einstein.
Nobel Prizes
In 1903, Marie Curie jointly won the Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband, Pierre Curie, and their work partner Henri Becquerel. This made her the first woman in history to win a Nobel Prize. Fast forward to 1911 and she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, though this one was awarded to her alone. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes and is the only person to win in two scientific fields and the only woman to win in any two fields.
Other Firsts
Marie’s husband Pierre was tragically killed in 1906. He stepped out onto a street in heavy rain and was killed by a horse-drawn carriage. He had been working as a professor of physics at the University of Paris and with his passing, it was decided that Marie would be offered the role. She accepted and became the university’s first female professor. Another first happened a few years earlier in 1903, when Marie became the first woman in France to be awarded a PhD in physics.
Like Mother, Like Daughter
Marie and her husband Pierre had two daughters together: Irene, who was born in 1897, and Eve, whose birth was in 1904. Marie wasn’t exactly a hands-on parent, as she preferred spending time at work in the laboratory. Even though colleagues would comment on Marie’s detached approach to parenting, she never let this get to her in any way. Irene followed her mother’s footsteps and was a scientist specialising in the field of radiation. Along with her husband, Frederic Joliot-Curie, she discovered artificial radioactivity and in 1935 the couple were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work.
Cause of Death
It should come as no surprise that Marie died as a result of long-term exposure to radiation. By 1920, she was in her early 50s and was experiencing some health issues that were likely a result of working closely with various radioactive substances. She died in 1934 and the condition that killed her was aplastic anaemia, which is where the bone marrow is incapable of producing new blood cells. This condition came about because of the large amount of radiation Curie had accumulated in her body through her work.