Marie Curie

Biography

Denied university in Russian-ruled Poland, Skłodowska moved to Paris, studied while half-starving, and — with her husband Pierre — processed tonnes of pitchblende ore in a draughty shed to isolate two new elements. The work killed her: she died of aplastic anaemia caused by decades of radiation exposure.

Polish-born French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, at the cost of her own health.

Known for

Pioneering research on radioactivity and discovering polonium and radium.

Notable works & defining projects

• Research on radioactivity
• Discovery of polonium and radium
• Institut du Radium (Curie Institute)

Notable achievements

• The only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences — Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911)
• Discovered the elements polonium (named for her native Poland) and radium
• Coined the term 'radioactivity'

Timeline

1. 1898With Pierre Curie, announced the discovery of polonium and radium
2. 1903Shared the Nobel Prize in Physics — the first woman laureate
3. 1911Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry outright

Did you know?

• She carried radioactive test tubes in her pockets and stored them in a desk drawer, enjoying their glow — long before the dangers were understood
• She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and remains the only person with Nobels in two different sciences