One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done!

Marie Skłodowska Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland, into a family of educators who strongly valued learning. Determined to pursue higher education, she moved to Paris, where she enrolled at the Sorbonne. There, she met Pierre Curie, a fellow scientist who became both her husband and collaborator in the study of radioactivity. Their groundbreaking work in the field led to their joint receipt of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, alongside Henri Becquerel.

Following Pierre’s tragic death in 1906, Marie continued their research with unwavering dedication. Her pioneering contributions earned her a second Nobel Prize—this time in Chemistry—in 1911, making her the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes in different scientific fields.

During World War I, Curie applied her scientific expertise to medicine, organizing mobile X-ray units, known as “Little Curies,” to aid battlefield surgeons. Her legacy of scientific excellence extended to her daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, who, along with her husband, Frédéric Joliot, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for their discovery of artificial radioactivity.

Pierre and Marie Curie with the bicycles on which, during their early married life, they roamed the roads of France together.

Pierre and Maria Curie in the laboratory, demonstrating the experimental apparatus used to detect the ionisation of air, and hence the radioactivity, of samples of purified ore which enabled their discovery of radium.

Marie Curie working in her laboratory at the University of Paris in 1925.

1927 Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics. Photograph by Benjamin Couprie, Institut International de Physique Solvay, Brussels, Belgium.

Marie and Pierre’s journey into radioactivity was inspired by Henri Becquerel’s 1896 discovery of the phenomenon. They meticulously examined various minerals and substances, discovering that pitchblende was significantly more radioactive than uranium alone. This led to their groundbreaking isolation of two previously unknown elements—polonium, named in honor of Marie’s homeland, and radium, both of which exhibited intense radioactivity. Their discoveries not only deepened scientific understanding but also paved the way for future advancements in nuclear physics and medical treatments.

“We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it. It must be done for itself, for the beauty of science, and then there is always the chance that a scientific discovery may become like the radium a benefit for humanity.”