Marie Curie
First person to win Nobel Prizes in two scientific fields.
Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, known as Marie Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband, Pierre Curie, "for their joint researches on the radioactivity phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel." She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for] the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element." Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. She and Pierre were the first married couple to win the Nobel Prize, launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. In 1906, she became the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.
- born
- 7 November 1867, Warsaw, Russian Empire
- died
- 4 July 1934, Passy, Haute-Savoie, France
- field
- Physics and chemistry
- nationality
- Polish and naturalised-French
- known_for
- Pioneering research on radioactivity; discovery of radium and polonium; first wo
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Curie was born in Warsaw, Russian Empire, the fifth and youngest child of teachers Bronisława and Władysław Skłodowski. Her family lost property and fortunes through patriotic involvements in Polish national uprisings. Her mother died of tuberculosis in May 1878, when Maria was ten; less than three years earlier, her oldest sibling Zofia died of typhus. These deaths caused her to give up Catholicism and become agnostic. Unable to enrol in a regular institution of higher education because she was a woman, she and her sister Bronisława became involved with the clandestine Flying University. She began her practical scientific training in a chemistry laboratory at the Museum of Industry and Agriculture, run by her cousin Józef Boguski. In late 1891, she left Poland for France. In Paris, she rented a garret in the Latin Quarter and studied physics, chemistry, and mathematics at the University of Paris. She earned a degree in physics in 1893 and a second degree in 1894. She met Pierre Curie in 1894; they married in 1895. Together they conducted pioneering research on radioactivity—a term she coined. Pierre died in a Paris street accident in 1906. Curie became the first woman professor at the University of Paris that same year. She named the first chemical element she and Pierre discovered polonium, after her native country.
Reader's Guide
Curie's significance lies in her foundational work on radioactivity. Under her direction, the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment of neoplasms by the use of radioactive isotopes. She founded the Curie Institute in Paris in 1920, and the Curie Institute in Warsaw in 1932; both remain major medical research centres. During the First World War, she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals. Curie died in 1934, aged 66, at the Sancellemoz sanatorium in Passy, Haute-Savoie, France, of aplastic anaemia likely from exposure to radiation in the course of her scientific research and her radiological work at field hospitals during the First World War. In 1995, she became the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Paris Panthéon. Poland declared 2011 the Year of Marie Curie during the International Year of Chemistry. The synthetic element curium is named in her honour. Her legacy includes the Curie family's five Nobel Prizes and her role as a pioneer for women in science.
Did You Know?
- Curie coined the term 'radioactivity'.
- She named the element polonium after her native country, Poland.
- She was the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris, in 1906.
- During the First World War, she developed mobile radiography units for field hospitals.
- She was the first woman to be entombed on her own merits in the Paris Panthéon, in 1995.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Marie Curie?
Marie Curie was a Polish-born physicist and chemist who later became a naturalised French citizen. She is best remembered for her groundbreaking work on radioactivity and for breaking barriers as the first woman ever awarded a Nobel Prize.
What did Marie Curie discover?
She identified and isolated two new elements, radium and polonium, through her pioneering research on radioactive phenomena. Her work laid the foundation for modern nuclear physics and radiation-based medical treatments.
How many Nobel Prizes did Marie Curie win?
She earned two: one in Physics in 1903 shared with her husband Pierre, and another in Chemistry in 1911 for isolating radium. This made her the first person ever to hold Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines.
Why is Marie Curie important?
Her research on radioactivity opened entirely new fields of scientific inquiry and practical medical applications. She also shattered the gender barriers of her era, proving that women could lead at the highest levels of scientific achievement.
How did Marie Curie die?
She passed away on 4 July 1934 in Passy, France, from aplastic anaemia caused by prolonged radiation exposure during decades of laboratory work. Her death was a direct consequence of the very elements she had spent her life studying.
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