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MARIE CURIE: Lifetime: 1867-1934

Background Information: Born Maria Sklodowska in Warsaw in 1867, Marie Curie is a face of modern science. Early in life she received partial scientific training from her father, Vladyslaw Sklodowska. At the same time she joined a student revolutionary organization. But in Warsaw, currently occupied by Russia, Maria Sklodowska was not safe. By 1891 she had made her way to Paris. She then continued her the studies she had begun with her father, at the famous Sorbonne. After quite a bit of hard work, she was granted a Licentiateship in Physics and Mathematical Sciences. While at the Sorbonne she became acquainted with Pierre Curie who was the Professor in the School of Physics. In 189 they were married. Later she became the Head of the Physics Laboratory of the Sorbonne. Then in 1903 she obtained her Doctor of Science degree. In 1906 Pierre Curie died in a street accident. Marie Curie then took over his position as the Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences. Later she would be appointed the Director of the Curie Laboratory in the Radium Institute of the University of Paris. The Curie Laboratory was founded in 1914. She died at age 66 in Paris, because she worked in deplorable conditions and so it is thought that she died of over exposure. Her daughters, Irene and Eve continued her work.

Why she is famous: Marie Curie learned about Henri Becquerel who in 1896 discovered radioactivity. This discovery inspired Marie and her husband to research and analyses radioactivity. Thanks to their research they discovered Polonium and radium. They used these discoveries to lessen suffering during World War One, only one of their uses. For her great efforts and the importance of her work Marie Curie received several awards and honors. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, which she won for Physics in 1903. She then became the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, her second being for her work in Chemistry. These two awards are only a few of several that she won.

Written with the help of two articles: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Curie