Facts about Marie Curie

"Born on November 7, 1867, Warsaw" (nowadays modern Poland)

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021, 

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie 

Marie Curie's Early Life and Education

Marie Curie's parents were both educators; both wanted to educate her

Father's education: math and physics professor

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Early Life

"When she was only 10, Curie lost her mother, Bronislawa, to tuberculosis."

 Would later take care of her father

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Early Life and Education

Top student in her secondary school, would get rejected from male-dominant universities (females weren't as easily allowed to get educated at the time)

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Education

She and her sister would seek education through Warsaw's Flying University (a secret university for women)

 Flying University can also be referred to as Floating University

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Education

"In 1891, Curie finally made her way to Paris and enrolled at the Sorbonne." (age 24)

Had to survive off of bread and tea, would often get sick (lack of money, most spent for her university)

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Education

Completed her master's degree in both mathematics and physics

PhD in Physics would later be acquired as well

Would attain many careers: Tutor, scientist, Sorbonne University's first female teacher, etc.

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Relationship with Pierre Curie

Marie Curie met Pierre Curie with her connection to Sorbonne University

Pierre Curie; physicist, same field as Marie Curie

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Relationship with Pierre Curie

Marie Curie and Pierre Curie married July 26, 1895

Both a duo in life and a duo in work; partners in research (continuation to the discovery of radium)

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Relationship with Pierre Curie

Pierre Curie would pass away sadly in 1906, in a horse wagon accident

(his skull would be crushed)

“Marie Curie.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2021,

www.biography.com/scientist/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Career

Curie wrote her thesis on different types of radiation.

Mainly on uranium, a newly found radioactive element - led to the discovery of radium with her husband Pierre Curie

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

First woman to receive a Nobel Prize (two in different science fields)

- Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1911 (isolation of radium discovery)

- Nobel Prize in Physics 1903

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Career

Would become the Director at Curie Laboratory, the Radium Institute founded by Marie Curie

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Relationship with Pierre Curie

Met her husband in 1984, working in the same lab together (Pierre Curie's lab at the time)

Pierre dedicated himself to his career alongside his wife

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Family

Had two daughters, Irène and Eve after they got married

Eve: a pianist and journalist

Irène: physicist

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobel prize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

____________________________________________________

“Ève Curie.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Feb. 2022,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88ve_Curie.

_____________________________________________________

“Irène Joliot-Curie.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Mar. 2022,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ir%C3%A8ne_Joliot-Curie.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

Discovered radium, a radioactive material

- "radium destroyed diseased cells faster than healthy cells"

- help to treat tumors

- believed the good cause

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"During World War I, Curie promoted the use of X-rays"

Created radiology units to help treat patients on the battlefield

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Facts about Marie Curie

She passed away from aplastic anemia at the age of 66, possibly from radioactive poisoning

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Career

She continued her research, based on one of her role models; Henri Becquerel

- his research stemmed from the discovery of uranium's radioactivity

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - NobelPrize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"In 1898 it was added to the Periodic Table as polonium, named after Curie’s birth country."

Her affection towards her homeland contributed to her discovery for the naming of polonium.

“The Nobel Prize: Women Who Changed Science: Marie Curie.” The

      Official Website of the Nobel Prize - Nobel Prize.org,

www.nobelprize.org/womenwhochangedscience/stories/marie-curie

Marie Curie's Struggles

Major opposition from male colleagues; wasn't financially compensated fairly compared to men

“History - Marie Curie.” BBC, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml.

Marie Curie's Struggles

Her health would deteriorate in the 1920s, because of radioactivity; leading to her demise

“History - Marie Curie.” BBC, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

Her research was crucial for the development of X-rays; created ambulances with x-ray equipment

“History - Marie Curie.” BBC, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

International Red Cross made her head of its radiology service; she created and provided training courses

“History - Marie Curie.” BBC, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml.

Marie Curie's Family

Irène (her oldest daughter) would become a scientist and would also achieve a Nobel Prize in chemistry

“History - Marie Curie.” BBC, BBC,

www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/curie_marie.shtml.

Marie Curie's Career and Advancements

"We must go back to the year 1897. Professor Curie and I worked at that time in the laboratory of the school of Physics and Chemistry where Professor Curie held his lectures. I was engaged in some work on uranium rays which had been discovered two years before by Professor Becquerel" (Curie, 2).

Curie, Marie. The Discovery of Radium: Address by Madame M. Curie at

Vassar College, May 14, 1921. Vassar College, 1921.

Marie Curie's Lifestyle

"We had not even a good laboratory at that time. We worked in a hangar where there were no improvements, no good chemical arrangements. We had no help, no money. And because of that the work could not go on as it would have done under better conditions" (Curie, 4).

Curie, Marie. The Discovery of Radium: Address by Madame M. Curie at

Vassar College, May 14, 1921. Vassar College, 1921.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"But we must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like the radium a benefit for humanity" (Curie, 5).

Curie, Marie. The Discovery of Radium: Address by Madame M. Curie at

Vassar College, May 14, 1921. Vassar College, 1921.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"It is my earnest desire that some of you should carry on this scientific work and keep for your ambition the determination to make a permanent contribution to science" (Curie, 5).

Curie, Marie. The Discovery of Radium: Address by Madame M. Curie at

Vassar College, May 14, 1921. Vassar College, 1921

Marie Curie Career

"She took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position."

“The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903.” NobelPrize.org,

                                  www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/mariecurie/biographical/.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"She retained her enthusiasm for science throughout her life and did much to establish a radioactivity laboratory in her native city – in 1929 President Hoover of the United States presented her with a gift of $ 50,000, donated by American friends of science, to purchase radium for use in the laboratory in Warsaw."

“The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903.” NobelPrize.org,

                                  www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/mariecurie/biographical/.

Marie Curie's Career

"She was a member of the Conseil du Physique Solvay from 1911 until her death and since 1922 she had been a member of the Committee of Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations."

“The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903.” NobelPrize.org,

                                  www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/mariecurie/biographical/.

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"She also received, jointly with her husband, the Davy Medal of the Royal Society in 1903 and, in 1921, President Harding of the United States, on behalf of the women of America, presented her with one gram of radium in recognition of her service to science."

“The Nobel Prize in Physics 1903.” NobelPrize.org,

                                  www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/mariecurie/biographical/.

Marie Curie's Lifestyle

"From then on, she and Pierre followed what they called an 'anti-natural' path that included a 'renunciation of the pleasures of life'. They lived plainly in their apartment on the Rue de la Glacière within walking distance of their experiments."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/. 

Marie Curie's Career

"At first, she and other scientists were baffled about the source of the high-energy emissions. 'The uranium shows no appreciable change of state, no visible chemical transformation, it remains, in appearance at least, the same as ever, the source of the energy it discharges remains undetectable,' she wrote in 1900."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/. 

Marie Curie's Accomplishments 

"Marie extracted pure radium salts from pitchblende, a highly radioactive ore obtained from mines in Bohemia."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/. 

Marie Curie's Accomplishments

"In 1903, Curie became the first woman in France to earn a PhD in physics."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/. 

 Marie Curie's Career

"Rumors of a Nobel Prize began to circulate, but some members of the French Academy of Sciences attributed the brilliance of the work not to Marie, but to her co-workers. These skeptics began to lobby quietly for the prize to be split between Becquerel and Pierre. But Pierre insisted to influential people on the Nobel committee that Marie had originated their research, conceived experiments and generated theories about the nature of radioactivity."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Career

"Hundreds of people—students, artists, photographers, celebrities—lined up outside the university on November 5, 1906, hoping to attend her first lecture."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Career

"In 1910, she published a 971-page treatise on radioactivity."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Lifestyle

"In 1911, rumors spread that Curie was having an affair with the prominent physicist Paul Langevin, a man five years her junior who had been Pierre’s student and had worked closely with Albert Einstein."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Life

"She had an operation to remove lesions from her uterus and kidney, followed by a long recovery. In 1913, she began to travel again and return to science"

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Achievements

"She sometimes operated and repaired the machines herself, and established 200 more permanent X-ray posts during the war."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Career and Life

"The tour was largely the work of a New York City journalist named Missy Meloney, who had interviewed Curie in 1920 in Paris for the women’s magazine the Delineator, which Meloney edited. Meloney learned that the Curies had never patented the process for purifying radium. As a result, other scientists and U.S. chemical companies were processing radium, then selling it for cancer treatments and military research for $100,000 per gram. Curie was now unable to afford the element she had discovered."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Lifestyle

"When Curie died, at age 66 in 1934, journalists echoed the image popularized by Meloney."

Magazine, Smithsonian. “Madame Curie's Passion.” Smithsonian.com,

       Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2011,

       https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/madame-curies-passion

       74183598/.

Marie Curie's Career

"She traveled to the United States in 1921 to tour and raise funds for research on radium."

“Marie Curie.” Atomic Heritage Foundation, 7 Nov. 1867, 

https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/marie-curie. 

Marie Curie's Career

"She returned to Poland for the foundation laying ceremony for the Radium Institute, which opened in 1932 with her sister Bronislawa as its director."

“Marie Curie.” Atomic Heritage Foundation, 7 Nov. 1867, 

https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/marie-curie. 

Marie Curie's Facts

"Curie died in 1934 of radiation-induced leukemia, since the effects of radiation were not known when she began her studies."

“Marie Curie.” Atomic Heritage Foundation, 7 Nov. 1867, 

https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/marie-curie. 

Marie Curie's Basic Facts

"In 1995, her and Pierre's remains were moved to the Panthéon, the French National Mausoleum, in Paris. She was the first woman to receive that honor on her own merit."

“Marie Curie.” Atomic Heritage Foundation, 7 Nov. 1867, 

https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/marie-curie. 

Marie Curie's Education

"1891 - Received Licenciateships in Physics and the Mathematical Sciences from the University of Paris."

“Marie Curie.” Atomic Heritage Foundation, 7 Nov. 1867, 

https://www.atomicheritage.org/profile/marie-curie.