Marie Curie’s unprecedented work with radioactivity brought her fame, respect in the field of science, an unprecedented pair of Nobel Prizes, and eventually death in 1934.
Marie Sklodowska Curie was born in Poland in 1867. From there, along with her husband, Pierre Curie, she became the most prominent and well known woman chemist in history.
Curie, originally named Marja Sklodowska, was born a native of Warsaw, Poland on November 7, 1867 to two school teachers; her father taught high school physics. In 1891 she went to Paris, France, where she changed her name to Marie. While in France she enrolled in the Sorbonne where she graduated at the top of her class and received her degree in physics two years later. She met a young French scientist named Pierre Curie in 1894 and they married in 1895.
Just one year after Marie and Pierre wed Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered natural radioactivity. At this same time Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-rays in 1895. The recent advances in radioactivity caught the interest of Marie Curie. Pierre Curie ended his research in magnetism to join his wife, and the two began working together to investigate the mysteries of radioactivity.
Utilizing piezoelectric techniques devised by Pierre Curie, Marie discovered through careful measurements that uranium ore contained much more radioactivity than could be accounted for by the uranium alone. Thus, they began to search for the source. Marie became the first person to use the term “radioactive” to describe elements that give off radiation as their nuclei break down (4). By searching through tons of the uranium ore, or pitchblende, they isolated small amounts of the highly radioactive elements polonium, named in honor of Poland, and radium.
In 1903 both Pierre and Marie Curie were awarded the Nobel Prize along with Becquerel for their discovery and research of radioactive elements. Marie Curie became the first female recipient of the Nobel Prize in any category.
Subsequent to the awarding of the Nobel Prize, Pierre was appointed professor of physics at the University of Paris, and in 1905 he was named a member of the French Academy. Marie was not honored in such a manner because women did not commonly hold such positions. Pierre was run over by a horse-drawn cart and passed away on April 19, 1906. Marie then took over his classes and continued her research. In 1911 she received an unparalleled second Nobel Prize, becoming the first person to ever win two Prizes. The second Prize was awarded for her work in chemistry on the isolation of polonium and radium and for investigation the chemical properties of both elements. Marie Curie was instrumental in founding the Radium Institute in Paris in 1914 and helped to found the Curie Institute.
The Curies had two children, both daughters. The eldest, Irene also became a scientist and continued her parents’ work in the research of radioactive elements. She and her husband, Frederic became Nobel Prize winners in 1935 in chemistry for the synthesis of new radioactive elements. Their second daughter, Eve Curie, did not inherit the scientific interest of her family, but she became a well-known author and lecturer. Her most famous book, Madame Curie: A Biography, has been published in more than 20 languages.
Marie Curie’s body slowly deteriorated due to exposure to radiation throughout the years. At the time it was not confirmed that radiation was harmful to the human body, and the obstinate scientist never publicly admitted that the elements she worked so hard to understand had caused her death. She was diagnosed with pernicious anemia, caused by overexposure to radiation, and died in Haute Savoie on July 4, 1934 at age 67.
The work that Marie Curie dedicated her life to opened the doors to many chemists and physicists. Radiation is now understood to cause cancer, as well as to treat cancer. Her pioneering research also serves as an example to aspiring female scientists, such as her daughter, Irene. Marie Curie unknowingly paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of science, and at the same time advanced the way the world of science viewed radioactivity.
