MARIE CURIE

Marie Curie was born in Warsaw (Poland) on November 7, 1867, and died in Passy (France) on July
4, 1934

Born Maria Salomea Sklodowska, Marie Curie is known for being the first female scientist to
receive the Nobel Prize and being the first female professor at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

CAREER AND CONTRIBUTION TO SCIENCE

Based on effort and sacrifice, in 1893, Marie Curie graduated in Physics from the University of
Paris, being number one in her class. Just one year later, she met the man who would become her
husband in 1895 and the father of her two daughters: fellow scientist Pierre Curie.

Marie Curie's interest in Physics did not end after obtaining her degree. He continued training and
his next step was to get a doctorate.

Fascinated by the advances in his wife's research, Pierre decided to put aside his studies on
magnetism in order to help her.

SECOND NOBEL PRIZE

After Pierre's tragic death, a deeply affected Marie decided to continue her research and her
efforts to create a new and better laboratory in which to work.

During the following years, he combined his work at the University with the care of his daughters
and his research on radium. He soon discovered that radiation therapy could be a cancer
treatment. This made Marie's experiments gain followers and become popular.

Thanks to these investigations, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. However,
there are those who claim that Marie Curie could have lost it due to a "love scandal"; something
that has nothing to do with science.

LAST YEARS AND DEATH

Marie Curie was not only a pioneering scientist, she also played a very important role during World
War I.

Without ever having profited from her findings, the scientist acquired several cars and portable X-
ray machines and created "radiological ambulances". Thanks to this gesture, many soldiers were
able to save their lives and she became the director of the French Red Cross Radiology Service.

After the war, Curie returned to her studies and was part of various scientific academies such as
the National Academy of Medicine of France in 1922 and obtained countless awards.

Unfortunately, due to the radiation to which she was exposed in her experiments, Marie Curie
died on July 4, 1934. However, her contributions to science and society will always be immortal.