Who was Marie Curie?
As the first ever woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the scientist who discovered radium and polonium, and the savior of many lives, Marie Curie hit every golden standard. She continues to be a role model to women in science almost two centuries later for her passion for scientific research, patience, and care for those around her.
Marie Curie was given a local education in Warsaw, Poland, where she was born in 1867. She sought her departure to Paris when allowed to pursue her studies in college. She attended the Sorbonne, a prestigious French university, where she met her husband, Pierre Curie (1). The two shared many of the same passions, including their fascination with Henri Becquerel, the scientist famous for his discovery of the element uranium and radioactivity.
The couple spent years with their research on trends in radioactivity, until stumbling upon a fascinating imperfection in nature. Pitchblende, a radioactive mineral known to contain uranium, contains four times the radioactivity of pure uranium (2). With a lead on the subject, Marie worked restlessly on the separation of this pitchblende. The total process took four years, and in 1898, she was rewarded with the discovery of the radioactive metals Polonium and Radium. Polonium was discovered using bismuth and the chemical formation of a solid precipitate. They named the element after her homeland, which stuck with her throughout her journey. Although Marie Curie was never able to fully isolate polonium, she was able to distinguish pure radium. She did so by soaking the pitchblende in hydrochloric acid, which tore at the mineral and created a residue with solute of the pitchblende. She was then able to pressurize this residue to crystallize the radium chloride that the reaction produced (3). After countless hours of patience and work, Marie Curie had discovered Radium and found a way to isolate a tenth of a gram of it (1).
In 1906, Pierre Curie passed away after sharing a Nobel Prize with his wife and Henri Becquerel. Marie continued to pave the way for women in science by becoming the first ever professor of general physics at the Sorbonne, taking Pierre’s job. In 1911, she received a second Nobel Peace Prize, remaining the only woman to win twice to this day.
Marie continued to use her knowledge of radiation to help target and kill off or permanently damage cancer cells so that their DNA could not replicate. She also helped with 200 X-Ray laboratories that used her discoveries with radiation to help see and heal the wounds of soldiers. Alongside that, using her research, the Institute of Radium helped to save 8000 patients (4). Marie Curie’s discoveries not only impacted the scientific world but also saved thousands from the brutalities of war and illness.
Marie Curie is remembered for her passion for STEM, but also her empathy and leadership to the many women who follow in her footsteps in science today. She is a reminder of the power of research and the rewards of dedication, despite being in a time when no one believed in the capabilities of women.
Sources
- The Nobel Prize. “Marie Curie Biographical.” NobelPrize.org, The Nobel Prize, 2025, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/.
- Britannica. “Marie Curie | Biography & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Curie.
- EBSCO. “Radium (Ra) | EBSCO.” EBSCO Information Services, Inc. | Www.ebsco.com, 2025, www.ebsco.com/research-starters/chemistry/radium-ra.
- Gasinska, Anna. “The Contribution of Women to Radiobiology: Marie Curie and Beyond.” Reports of Practical Oncology & Radiotherapy, vol. 21, no. 3, May 2016, pp. 250–258, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5002019/, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rpor.2015.11.006.
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