Marie Curie

Born Marie Sklodowska in Warsaw, Poland, Marie Curie moved to Paris and enrolled as a student of physics at the Sorbonne in 1891. While researching the magnetic properties of various steel alloys, she me Pierre Curie, and they married in 1895. In the following year, Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered radioactivity in uranium. As a team, the Curies further investigated uranium and discovered the elements radium and polonium (named after Marie's native country). They also discovered that diseased, tumor-forming cells were destroyed faster than healthy cells when exposed to radium, laying the groundwork for modern radiation therapy. The word radioactivity was coined by Madame Curie.


In addition to publishing many important scientific papers and books, Madame Curie received many honors. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, one in 1903 for the discovery of radioactivity (which she shared with her husband and Bacquerel) and one in 1911 in chemistry. In 1908, at the University of Paris, she taught the first course on radioactivity over offered. The Sorbonne created a special chair in physics for Pierre Curie; Marie was appointed his successor after  he died in a street accident.

During world war I, Madame Curie devoted much of her time to providing radiological services to hospitals. Upon her death, Albert Einstein said, "Marie Curie is, of all celebrated beings, the only one whom fame has not corrupted."