She once said,
“We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
These words resonate powerfully from a woman who, in the eyes of commoners and renowned physicists alike from the 19th century, seemed unlikely to achieve what she did. She was the first woman to attain a PhD in France. However, to subgroup her achievements solely under the category as a woman is profoundly disrespectful. She stands as the first human to win two Nobel Prizes and ranks among the greatest physicists to have ever graced this planet.
Widely known as Marie Curie, she was born Marie Sklodowska into a family of Polish patriots in a territory invaded by the Soviets. At that time, there was no independent Polish state, a situation that persisted for at least a century. Only Polish people remained who retained a strong sense of nationalism, fervently opposing oppressors who sought to erase their rich history and forbid the speaking of their language.
As the daughter of two teachers, she showed an excellent aptitude for both physics and mathematics. Unfortunately, women were not allowed to study science in Russian territory or most European territories. Thus, her only hope lay in the capital of France, Paris, where she had to wait until the age of 24 to pursue her studies. In Paris, she met her future husband, Pierre Curie. Despite the patriotic pull of her homeland, Marie Curie chose not to return permanently to Poland due to the formidable challenges a woman faced in securing a prominent scientific position—a difficult decision for a woman deeply rooted in patriotism and responsible for her father’s care.
Together, they formed a formidable scientific team that would inscribe history in ways previously unimaginable. Following Henri Becquerel’s discovery of the mysterious properties of crystals containing uranium, which spontaneously emitted X-ray-like radiation, leaving marks on photographic film, Marie Curie went on to discover similar properties in thorium. This property depended solely on the quantity of material used. Subsequently, after distilling rare uranium rocks from the Czech Republic under harrowing laboratory conditions, they isolated a mineral called pitchblende, which exhibited four times more activity than uranium. This anomaly hinted at the presence of a substance even more potent. After three years of isolation, they identified a new element, which Marie Curie named radium. Radium exhibited spontaneous emission of energy and light, a phenomenon inexplicable by chemical reactions, thus coining the term “radioactivity.”
That year, Henri and Pierre were nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics, overlooking Marie. However, due to Pierre’s heroic stance, all three were eventually awarded the Nobel Prize, making her the first woman to achieve such recognition. After the tragic death of her beloved husband, Marie immersed herself even deeper in her research, assuming Pierre’s position at the Sorbonne and becoming the first woman to teach at the university. In 1911, she received another Nobel Prize for her earlier discoveries and the isolation of two elements, radium, and polonium, which she named after her native Poland, demonstrating her unwavering sense of Polish identity, which she instilled in her daughters by teaching them the language.
She’s one of the greatest humans of all time. Even her daughter, Irene Curie, won a Nobel Prize for discovering radioactive isotopes. Sadly, both she and her daughter died from long-term exposure to radioactivity. Yet, Marie Curie’s legacy lives on in the hearts of every physics enthusiast. Physics, the science of asking questions and understanding how everything works is grateful to have such a brilliant spearhead.
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Isaac Newton
The quote highlights modern scientific achievements and Marie Curie’s work is a prime example. Her discoveries laid the foundation for modern nuclear physics, a huge leap forward. In a world where nuclear energy could play a crucial role in combating climate change, her contributions mark the genesis of this journey.
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