Biography

Madame Curie: 8 key ideas

by Ève Curie

The core ideas of Madame Curie, each in under a minute, written in our own words. Want the full depth? Get the book.

1. IDEA 1 OF 8

   A Polish girl dreamed of science

   Ève Curie tells the story of her mother, Marie Curie, born Manya Sklodowska in Warsaw.

   Under Russian rule, women could not attend university in Poland, so she worked as a governess and saved money to study in Paris.

2. IDEA 2 OF 8

   Paris brought hard study

   Marie studied physics and mathematics in Paris while living in poverty, sometimes fainting from hunger.

   Her determination made her top of her class. Her years of hardship in Paris prepared her for the difficult work she did later.

3. IDEA 3 OF 8

   She married Pierre Curie

   Marie met and married the physicist Pierre Curie.

   They shared a passion for science and worked together. Their marriage was also a working partnership, in which two scientists supported and challenged each other every day.

4. IDEA 4 OF 8

   They discovered new elements

   Working in a cold, leaky shed, the Curies discovered polonium and radium.

   Their research on radioactivity changed science. Their discovery opened a whole new area of science that others could build on.

5. IDEA 5 OF 8

   She won two Nobel Prizes

   Marie shared the Nobel Prize in Physics and later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alone.

   She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. The prizes showed that her work was respected around the world, in more than one field.

6. IDEA 6 OF 8

   Tragedy struck

   Pierre was killed in a street accident in 1906.

   Marie continued their work, taking over his teaching post. Losing her husband was a heavy blow, but she chose to carry on their research and teach in his place.

7. IDEA 7 OF 8

   She helped in wartime

   During the First World War, Marie organised mobile X-ray units to help wounded soldiers.

   She trained women to operate them. She used her scientific knowledge to help save lives when the need was urgent.

8. IDEA 8 OF 8

   Her work cost her health

   Marie's long exposure to radiation damaged her health.

   She died in 1934, a pioneer of science. Her dedication to science carried a personal price, which she paid for the sake of her discoveries.