Marie Curie Scientist

Born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland Full name: Maria Sklodowska Nickname: Manya By age 11, her mother and eldest sister died

Her father was a professor of science Marie loved science Marie’s sister: Bronya Sisters pact: university Marie graduated at age 15

At age 24 Marie registered at the famous Sorbonne university in Paris In 1894 she met Pierre Curie, a scientist In 1895 they got married They had 2 children – Irene and Eve

In 1898 the Curies discovered a mineral called pitchblende contained uranium and other radioactive elements Polonium = 300 times more active than uranium Radium =one million times stronger than uranium

In 1903 Marie and Pierre Curie were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery of Radium The Curie’s did not know that Radium was dangerous and could cause illness They couldn’t attend the Nobel Prize award ceremony as they were very sick because of the Radium

In 1906 Pierre was tragically killed In 1911 Marie was awarded a second Nobel Prize for Chemistry First woman to win a Nobel Prize First person to win twice

In 1896 Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered x-rays During World War I, Marie trained over 150 women to operate x-ray equipment to help wounded soldiers They saved thousands of soldiers

During the later part of her life Marie suffered various medical problems caused by exposure to Radium She died in 1934 Her remains lie beside her husband in the famous Pantheon in Paris

Marie’s great discoveries made her one of the most important scientists in history Irene Curie became a Professor of Science in Paris and received a Nobel Prize for her scientific work in 1935

Marie Curie 1867 - 1934