Marie Curie: An Autobiography by Marilyn Bailey Oglive
Who was Marie Curie? by Megan Stine
Who was Marie Curie?
Marie Curie
- One of the most famous female scientist
- Collaboration with her husband Pierre Curie has allowed her to perform painstaking research on radiation.
- Made a critical theoretical breakthrough on radiation
- Opened radium institutes during World War I to study more about radiation and to create mobile X-Rays.
Top Accomplishment
Youth
- 1898- Tested different types of rocks to see which one would emit the most radiation.
- Found that pitchblende contained a high percentage of uranium, but there was another element that was emitting about 1,000 times more radiation.
- Named that element Polonium after her home country
- Eight days later- Discovered element Radium.
- Was born in Warsaw, Poland on November 7, 1867
- Father taught mathematics and physics in a university in Warsaw.
- Idolized her father and his interest in science, which greatly affected her interest in physics
- After the death of her mother and sister, she was depressed for the rest of her childhood
"A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child comforting natural phenomena that impresses him as though they were fairy tales."
Major Life Event
- Married to physicist Pierre Curie on July 26, 1895
- Partnership with Pierre resulted in the discovery of two elements in Pierre's laboratory
- Ultimately resulted in a shared Nobel Peace Prize for physics in 1903
- Many see Marie as Pierre's assistant, not as a scientist
- Hence, she is also known as Madame Curie
Education
Something I could relate to
Something I was Impressed by
- Graduated first and received a gold medal from Advanced High School (Gymnasium), a Russian-government school
- Attended Sorbonne University in Paris
- Was one of the few females there
- Received a degree in physics in 1891 and 1893 and degree in mathematics in 1894.
- Always had an interest in mathematics and physics
- Her parents encouraged her interests
- Like Marie, I have an interest in math and science, and the motivation from my parents encourages me to do the best in these subjects
- Shared the Nobel Piece Prize in physics in December of 1903 with Pierre and Henri Becquerel
- Won the Nobel Peace Prize in chemistry in 1911
- First women to win a Nobel Peace Prize and first person to win more than one
By Anushka Saxena
2nd period
Sketch of Sorbonne University in late 17th Century