1867-1934

Polish-born French Chemist

One of the pioneering figures in early nuclear physics and radiochemistry, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes (in 1903 and 1911), and remains the only person to win both prizes in the same field, and to be the mother of another Nobel Prize winner—Irène Joilot-Curie (1897-1956). Her extraordinary accomplishments served to break down many social and cultural barriers that had previously prevented women from pursuing careers as research scientists.

Maria Sklodowska was the daughter of Polish intellectuals suffering repression under the Russian occupation of their homeland. Despite such circumstances, her parents provided her with a thorough education. As a young woman, she worked as a governess before leaving for Paris in 1891 to live with relatives and pursue further studies, changing her first name to its French form...