Marie Curie: A Detailed Biography

Marie Skłodowska Curie (1867–1934) was the most iconic woman scientist in history. The first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only person to win Nobels in two different sciences (Physics and Chemistry), and the discoverer of polonium and radium, she pioneered the field of radioactivity while overcoming poverty, sexism, and the deadly effects of her own research. This biography covers her Polish childhood, Paris years, groundbreaking discoveries, and tragic death, as documented by the Nobel Prize Organisation, the Encyclopaedia Britannica, and the Institut Curie.

Early Life in Russian-Occupied Poland

Warsaw and the Flying University

Born Maria Salomea Skłodowska on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, she was the youngest of five children of teacher parents. After Poland’s 1863 uprising failed, Russian authorities banned Polish language and science education. Maria attended the clandestine “Flying University” and made a pact with her sister Bronisława: she worked as a governess to fund Bronisława’s medical studies in Paris; then Bronisława would help Maria, as detailed by the Science History Institute.

Paris and Meeting Pierre Curie

Sorbonne and Scientific Marriage

In 1891, at age 24, Maria moved to Paris and enrolled at the Sorbonne. Living in poverty, she earned licences in physics (1893) and mathematics (1894), graduating first in her class. In 1894 she met Pierre Curie; they married in a simple civil ceremony in 1895 and began working together on magnetism and radioactivity, as recorded by the American Institute of Physics.

Discovery of Polonium and Radium

1903 Nobel Prize in Physics

Studying uranium rays discovered by Becquerel, Marie proved radioactivity was an atomic property. From tons of pitchblende ore they isolated two new elements: polonium (July 1898, named after Poland) and radium (December 1898). In 1903 Marie, Pierre, and Becquerel shared the Nobel Prize in Physics — the first ever awarded to a woman, as celebrated by the Nobel Prize site.

Widowhood and Second Nobel

1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Pierre was killed by a horse-drawn carriage in 1906. Marie succeeded him as professor at the Sorbonne — the first woman to teach there. In 1911 she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for isolating pure radium metal, becoming the only person with Nobels in two sciences, as noted by the American Chemical Society.

World War I and the “Little Curies”

During World War I, Marie developed mobile X-ray units (“petites Curies”) and trained 150 women as operators. She personally drove units to the front, saving countless lives, as documented by the Science Friday.

Scandal and Later Years

In 1911 a brief affair with married physicist Paul Langevin triggered a press scandal and antisemitic/xenophobic attacks (despite her being neither Jewish nor foreign by then). She continued research at the Radium Institute (now Curie Institute) she founded.

Death and Legacy

Marie Curie’s Enduring Impact

Marie died on July 4, 1934, at age 66 from aplastic anaemia caused by radiation exposure. Her laboratory notebooks are still too radioactive to handle without protection, as confirmed by the BBC. Her daughter Irène and son-in-law Frédéric Joliot-Curie also won a Nobel (1935). The curie (Ci) unit of radioactivity and element 96 (curium) are named in the family’s honour.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marie Curie

Why Is Marie Curie Famous?

For discovering polonium and radium and being the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two sciences.

Was Marie Curie the First Woman to Win a Nobel Prize?

Yes — and the first person ever to win two Nobels in different fields.

Where Was Marie Curie Born?

Warsaw, Poland, November 7, 1867.

What Did Marie Curie Discover?

Polonium and radium; she coined the term “radioactivity.”

Who Was Pierre Curie?

Her husband and scientific partner; they shared the 1903 Nobel.

Did Marie Curie Work During World War I?

Yes — she created mobile X-ray units (“Little Curies”) for the front lines.

How Did Marie Curie Die?

Aplastic anaemia from radiation exposure on July 4, 1934.