Marie Curie is hailed as the pioneer of radioactivity and respected the world over for her incredible feats as a Nobel Prize Winner (twice) for her contribution to her field. She is an icon for her achievements as a woman during a period of restraint
Marya Salomea Sklodowska was born in Warsaw Poland. She was the fifth child of a family with already three daughters. Her father, Wladislaw and her mother Bronislawa, were both teachers in Warsaw.
Wladislaw was appointed professor and vice-principal of a gymnasium ( the name for high schools during this period) on Nowolpiki Street. The family moved into an official residence. However the Russian occupation became more and more unbearable with humiliation, controls, police and vehement banning of the polish language.
The Russian director of the gymnasium, stripped Wladislaw of his position as vice principal, his official residence and reduced his salary as a teacher. This financial embarrassment also reached his home life where, in order to survive, Wladislaw Slodowski accepts up to ten tenants into his home. One of these lodgers contaminated Marya's sister Sophia and mother with typhus. Their bodies were completely consumed by the disease. As a means to escape her despair Marya threw herself into her work, family and oppressed country.
Marya went to the gymnasium and earned a gold award at 16 years old. Her father then sent her to the country to live with his parents for a year to have the children home schooled. This year of Marya's life was one she would never forget.
Marya returned to Warsaw when her father asked for her return back home. She taught arithmetic, geometry and french lessons. She also went to the "Floating University" where she took classes in anatomy, natural history and sociology which were secretly given by a group of Polish intellectuals.
One of Marya's sisters Bronia dreamed of studying medicine but she had to leave for abroad since women in Poland were still not permitted to attend university. Moreover, Bronia did not have the money to pay for her studies.
Marya was then offered a place as a governess in a rich family and then sent her wages on to Bronia. When she was to become a qualified doctor, she would in turn help Marya financially with her studies. Marya became a teacher and would remain in this role for 5 years.
At the end of the year Bronia married a Polish student, Casimir Dluski. Soon after she wrote to her younger sister asking her to come to Paris. However she could not find the money for the journey and there remained the matter of a passport. Marya saved every last ruble and in september 1891 at 24 years old, the young Polish girl finally arrived in Paris.
Thanks to the money accumulated in Poland, she signed up at the Sorbonne (University of Paris) as soon as she arrived. She would also now go by the name of Marie Sklodowska. She continued her classes taught by prestigious professors and worked furiously to perfect her French as well as mathematics and physics. She moved to a well placed area in relation to the Sorbonne.
Marie received her first physics degree. After which she then obtained a loan from the Polish government to give her the resources to work for a mathematics license and began working for professor Lippmann at the same time. However he had yet to find a place for storing minerals and measuring tools.
In the springtime the physician Jozf Kowalski who had being staying in Paris, introduced Marie to Pierre Curie who was a well-known physician of 35 years already. He was able to provide her with the place she required through his role as a professor at the School of Physics and Chemisty in Paris. They immediately hit it off, not only on a scientific level but also through their passions for nature and family.
Marie aces her second degree in mathematics. She returns to her home country where she considers becoming a professor, when Pierre writes to her on August 10th 1894 asking her to return to Paris.
They get married at Sceaux town hall. As a wedding present, Pierre and Marie receive two bicycles. A mode of transport they quickly adopted- for their honeymoon they also visited the Île de France by bicycle.
Marie carried out scientific research on the magnetic properties of steel in her husband's laboratory. As well as this, during the evenings she prepared for her high level examination for the recruitment of teachers- in which she came first in July.
Their first child Irène was born but Marie could not be stopped even by motherhood when she wanted to write a dissertation. In October, aged 30, Marie chose properties of uranium rays as the subject of her dissertation.
Marie entitled her thesis "Research on Radioactive Substances", by November she was awarded the Davy Medal by the Royal Society of London. On December 10th, the Curies jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize for Physics with Henri Becquerel. However, their ill-health prevented them from going to Stockholm to receive the prize.
Marie was appointed lecturer at the Sorbonne as Professor of Physics whose post was preceeded by her husband. She therefore became the first woman in France to gain a position in superior education as a professor. Her work was done in isolation whilst creating pure radium chloride in 1902 but also the radium itself which was done in 1910. She received the Nobel Peace Prize for Chemistry in 1911 and created the radium institute in 1914.
France was invaded by the Germans. This immediately prompted Marie to use the progress of science and in particular X-rays, to treat the wounded. She teamed a car with an X-ray machine, a doctor, a driver/mechanic and left for the front line with Irène, aged 17 years old, acting as her assistant. Marie was then officially appointed Director of the Radiology Department of the Red Cross so that thousands of the wounded could then be rescued.
Marie agreed to give an interview with a famous American journalist who decided to help her. She wanted to launch a massive press campaign as a famous French scholar who lacked the funds for radium. Marie accepted to travel to the United States on her quest for funds.
She left with her two daughters Irène and Eve, who were jubilantly received on their arrival to New York. The journey was also a financial success for Marie not only money-wise but also through the resourcing of precious minerals, materials and countless scientific tools. Her dedication to the mission for scientific rays rendered the researcher an international symbol. Consequently she understood that she no longer had to isolate herself in her laboratory. She now made many trips and participated in conventions
She followed the work of her collaborators with interest, in particular that of Dr. Regaud who ran a prestigious radiotherapy and curietherapy for the treatment of tumors. However Marie knew that radiation was used without precautions on bodies by ignorant doctors and by those who made medicine or beauty products. She could do nothing but take credit for its discovery after giving the everything she had…only for it to be used dangerously.
