Marie Curie, born Maria Salomea Skłodowska in Poland in 1867, was the only woman at the prestigious Solvay Conference in 1927. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, first person to win twice, and first person to win in two different fields. Curie's work in radioactivity, which helped save a million lives during World War I and was used in early cancer treatment, is best known.
Curie's early life was marked by tragedy and hardship. Her father, a patriotic teacher, was forced into lower-paying positions by his Russian superiors, and her mother died of tuberculosis when Maria was ten. After her mother's death, Maria and her sister Bronisława enrolled in the secretive Flying University in Warsaw due to the Russian Empire's ban on women in university education.
In 1891, Maria moved to Paris and changed her name to Marie. She studied physics and mathematics at the University of Paris and later earned a degree in physics and another in mathematics. In 1895, she married Pierre Curie, a well-known physicist, and they worked together to discover two new radioactive elements: polonium and radium.
The Curies were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for their research in radiation. Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Despite their busy research schedules, they were too sick to accept the award in person due to the detrimental effects of radiation.
After Pierre Curie's death in 1906, Marie became the first female professor in France. She was awarded a second Nobel Prize in 1911 for her discovery of polonium and radium.
During World War I, Curie used her knowledge of x-rays to invent mobile units called "little curies" that helped surgeons on the battlefield. Her efforts saved an estimated million lives.
Despite her contributions, Curie received no official recognition from the French government. She died of aplastic anemia in 1934, likely due to exposure to radiation. In 1995, her remains were moved to the Panthéon in Paris, the first woman to be honored in the Panthéon on her own merits. Her radioactive papers remain so today, and anyone examining them must wear protective gear and sign a waiver [Source: Transcript](https://www.newsthink.com/transcript/the-life-and-death-of-marie-curie/).
1. In 1927, the Solvay Conference in Brussels was attended by 29 top physicists, including Marie Curie, who was the only woman in attendance .
2. Marie Curie, born Maria Salomea Skłodowska in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, was the youngest child of teachers .
3. Curie's father, Wladyslaw Sklodowski, was a teacher of physics and math, and was proud of his Polish heritage .
4. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice, in two different fields .
5. Curie is best known for her work in radioactivity, which saved a million lives during World War I .
6. Marie Curie and Pierre Curie discovered two new elements, polonium and radium, in 1898 .
7. Marie Curie earned her Doctor of Science degree from the Sorbonne in 1903, and did her thesis on radiation .
8. The Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 was awarded to Marie, Pierre, and Henri Becquerel for their research in radiation .
9. Marie Curie became the first female professor in France after her husband's death .
10. Curie won a second Nobel Prize in 1911, this time in chemistry, for the discovery of polonium and radium .
11. Marie Curie died of aplastic anemia, a blood disease likely due to exposure to large amounts of radiation over her lifetime .
12. In 1995, Marie Curie was honored in the Panthéon in Paris, the resting place for many distinguished French citizens .
13. Curie's remains and papers are still radioactive today .