We all have heard of Albert Einstein and Galileo, but what have they truly done? Today we take a dive into the life of Marie Curie, formerly Marie Sklodowska.
Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867. The daughter of a secondary school teacher, she was raised to be inquisitive and often did science experiments at home.
As an adult in 1891, Curie moved to Paris to further her studies. Eventually, she would gain her Doctor of Sciences degree in 1903. Shortly thereafter she became the first women to be a Professor of Laboratory Sciences. Case in point, she has credibility.
However, Curie is also known for working tediously in unsafe conditions. Originally, radioactivity was studied by Henri Becquerel, but Curie and her husband went on to isolate Polonium and discover Radium.
These are both big discoveries, and Curie went on to promote the use of Radium in medical treatment during the war. We have seen how radiation can be used in chemotherapy, but at the time we didn’t know the effects of high doses if radiation.
Her discoveries and war time efforts bestowed upon her two Nobel Peace Prizes. The first, she received in 1903 in the category of Physics–while she received the second in 1911 in the category of Chemistry.
Curie has gone done in history, because it is unheard of to receive Nobel Peace Prizes in two separate categories. However, her prosperous life ended on July 4th, 1934. Her death is thought to be due to prolonged exposure to radiation, which further shows her dedication to the field.
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/
Abigail Smith
Milliennial Science 