Madam Marie Curie

Madam Marie Curie was a naturalized French physicist as well as chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was born on 7 November, 1867 in Warsaw (the capital of Poland) Poland. She studied at Warsaw`s Clandestine Flying University and began her practical scientific training in Warsaw.

She was the first women to won a Noble Prize and also first person to won twice Noble Prize in two different science. She was also the first women to become a professor at the University of Paris, and in 1995 became the first women to be entombed on her own merits in the Pantheon in Paris. Her achievements included the development of – ‘the theory of Radioactivity’ (a term that she coined), ‘technique for isolating radioactive isotope’ and ‘the discovery of two elements – Polonium and Radium.

In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered the existence of x-rays, though the mechanism behind their production was not yet understood. And in 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered that Uranium salts emitted rays that resembled x-rays in their penetrating power. Becquerel demonstrated that this radiation, unlike phosphorescence, did not depend on an external source of energy but seemed to arise spontaneously from Uranium itself. Influenced by these two important discoveries Curie decided to look into Uranium rays as a possible field of research for a thesis. In July 1898, Curie and her husband published a joint paper announcing the existence of an element which they named ‘Polonium’, in honour of her native Poland.

On 26 December, 1898, the Curie announced the existence of a second element, which they named ‘Radium’ from the Latin word for ray. In 1910, Curie isolated pure radium metal. However, she never succeeded in isolating Polonium, which has a half life of only 138 days.

Under her direction, the World`s first studies into the treatment of neoplasm were conducted using radioactive isotopes. She founded the Curie Institute in Paris and in Warsaw, which remain major centre of medical research today. During WWI, she developed mobile radiography units to provide x-ray services to field hospitals.

Madam Marie Curie died in 1934, aged 66 at a Sanatorium in Sancellemoz, France by aplastic anaemia from exposure to radiation in the course of her scientific research and in the course of her radiological work at field hospitals during World War I.