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Marie Curie
1867–1934 · Physicist & Chemist
A pioneer of radioactivity research and the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, Marie Curie opened new frontiers in physics and chemistry.
“I am among those who think that science has great beauty.”
Why is this scientist famous?
Pioneering the study of radioactivity and discovering the elements polonium and radium with Pierre Curie.
Marie Curie pioneered the scientific study of radioactivity, a term she coined, and with Pierre Curie discovered the elements polonium and radium. Her research transformed scientists' understanding of radioactive matter and helped open new directions in physics, chemistry and medicine. She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to have won Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields.
Marie's story
Early Life
Born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw, Poland, during a time when the country was under Russian rule. Women were barred from higher education, so she attended the secret 'Flying University,' an underground institution dedicated to teaching Polish women. She saved money for years by working as a governess to fund her sister's medical studies in Paris, on the understanding that her sister would then support her. In 1891, she finally moved to Paris to study physics and mathematics at the Sorbonne, living in a freezing attic room and sometimes fainting from hunger.
Partnership with Pierre
In Paris she met Pierre Curie, a brilliant physicist already known for his work on piezoelectricity. They married in 1895 and became scientific partners, working together in a converted shed that was freezing in winter and stifling in summer — a visitor once described it as 'a cross between a stable and a potato cellar.' Despite the conditions, this was where their most important work was done.
Radioactivity
After Henri Becquerel discovered radiation from uranium salts in 1896, Marie Curie chose the phenomenon for her research. She coined the term 'radioactivity' and showed that the strength of the radiation depended on the amount of radioactive material present rather than its chemical form, supporting the idea that radioactivity was an atomic property. Working with Pierre Curie, she then identified two previously unknown radioactive elements, polonium and radium.
Nobel Prizes
In 1903 she shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel. Marie had been omitted from some early nominations, and Pierre made clear that her contribution to their joint research should be recognised. After Pierre's tragic death in a street accident in 1906, she took over his professorship, becoming the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne. In 1911 she won a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for the discovery of radium and polonium, the isolation of radium, and her study of radium and its compounds. She is the only person ever to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.
The Front Lines
During the First World War, Curie organised mobile X-ray units that allowed doctors to examine wounded soldiers close to the front. Working with her daughter Irène and others, she helped equip vehicles with X-ray apparatus and trained operators to use the technology. These mobile units became known as 'Little Curies' and greatly expanded access to medical radiography during the war.
Legacy
Curie died in 1934 from aplastic anaemia, a condition widely linked to her long-term exposure to ionising radiation. Her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie and son-in-law Frédéric Joliot jointly received the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The element curium and the unit of radioactivity, the curie, are named after her and Pierre.
What did they discover?
Radioactivity
Coined the term 'radioactivity' and showed that radioactive emission was an atomic property, helping establish a new field of research into radioactive matter.
Polonium
A radioactive element discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898, named after her native Poland — which did not exist as an independent country at the time.
Radium
Marie and Pierre Curie announced the discovery of radium in 1898. Marie later developed methods for separating radium from large quantities of uranium ore and studying its properties.
Mobile X-ray Units
Organised and helped deploy mobile X-ray vehicles during the First World War, bringing radiography closer to wounded soldiers and training others to operate the equipment.
Isolation and Study of Radium
Developed methods for isolating radium and studying its properties, work recognised by the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Amazing facts
She is the only person ever to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences (Physics and Chemistry).
In 1906, Curie became the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne, and in 1908 she became its first female full professor.
She drove a mobile X-ray van herself on the front lines of World War I.
Her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie and son-in-law Frédéric Joliot jointly won the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
She named polonium after her homeland, Poland, which did not exist as an independent country at the time.
She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first woman to become a professor at the Sorbonne.
She processed tons of pitchblende ore by hand, stirring boiling cauldrons with a heavy iron rod, to isolate radium.
Marie Curie's inclusion in the 1903 Nobel Prize was initially uncertain; Pierre Curie made clear that Marie's contribution to their joint research should be recognised.
The element curium and the unit of radioactivity, the curie, are named after her and Pierre.
She lived in a freezing attic in Paris and sometimes fainted from hunger while studying at the Sorbonne.
Timeline
Born in Warsaw, Poland
Began working as a governess to fund her sister's medical studies
Moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne
Earned a degree in physics, finishing first in her class
Married Pierre Curie
Discovered polonium and radium
Won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre and Becquerel
Pierre Curie killed in a street accident; Marie took over his post at the Sorbonne
Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work on radium, polonium and radioactive substances
Developed mobile X-ray units and drove them to the WWI front lines
Toured the United States to raise funds for radium research
Died from aplastic anaemia, widely linked to long-term radiation exposure
Awards & honours
Related Super Scientists
Pierre Curie
1859–1906 · Physicist
Co-discovered radium and polonium and pioneered the study of radioactivity with Marie Curie.
Henri Becquerel
1852–1908 · Experimental physicist
Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium emitted penetrating radiation spontaneously, providing the starting point for the scientific study of natural radioactivity.
Rosalind Franklin
1920–1958 · Chemist & X-ray Crystallographer
Producing crucial X-ray diffraction data on DNA, including Photograph 51, with her student Raymond Gosling.
