On this day in 1867, renowned physicist Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland. Thanks to her pioneering research on radioactivity, Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win twice in different fields, Physics and Chemistry.
Image: Marie Curie / Library of Congress
Curie was the fifth and youngest child born to Bronisława Boguska and Władyslaw Sklodowski, both teachers. Her paternal grandfather was also a well known teacher in Lublin and her family of educators stressed the importance of education. Although she was a top student in her secondary school, she was not allowed to attend the men-only University of Warsaw. She studied on her own until she was finally able to make her way to Paris to study at the Sorbonne. While in Paris, she met her husband Pierre Curie.
The Curies research into radioactivity was groundbreaking. They successfully isolated the radioactive elements polonium and radium. In 1903, they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. She would receive a second Nobel Prize in 1911 for her work in Chemistry.
Curie died on July 4, 1934 from aplastic anemia, which was brought on by prolonged exposure to radiation.
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Source: Geni.com
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