RP213 The First Lady of Science
In 1867, in Warsaw, part of Russian-controlled Poland, Maria Sklodowska was born. We know her by her married name, Marie Curie. As Madame Curie, she rose to the heights of scientific achievement.
Maria's father taught math and physics, and Maria inherited his love of the sciences. She also inherited her parents' patriotism. Her family suffered because of their parents' resistance to Russian rule. They believed education and pride in their culture was the best defense against their occupiers.
Higher education, however, was difficult for women to obtain in Poland. Maria and her sister Bronisława agreed to help fund each other's studies. Bronisława went to Paris to study medicine, supported by Maria. In 1891, it was Maria's turn.
Maria switched to the French "Marie" in Paris, where she studied physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and tutored at night. She met Pierre Curie, a professor of physics and chemistry, around 1894. They married in 1895. Madame Curie, as she became known, now had a lab partner.
Marie and Pierre discovered two new elements: polonium, which Marie named after Poland, and radium. Both of these elements are radioactive, a property which has only been described recently. Marie and her husband, Pierre, were often poor and worked under very basic conditions in their laboratory. They didn't know that exposure to radiation could destroy their health.
In 1903, for their work on radiation and radioactive elements, Marie, Pierre, and another scientist, Henri Becquerel received the Nobel Prize in Physics. Marie would also win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911.
Marie promoted the use of radiation for health, especially during World War I. X-ray machines powered by radiation helped doctors find bullets and shrapnel in soldiers. Ironically, Marie eventually died of the cumulative effects of radiation exposure in 1934. Her sacrifice and her husband's was our gain. They paved the way for great scientific leaps in the 20th century and beyond.
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