TheLegendofMarieCurieLiyuanyuan2013212062ContentsBiography1.Legacy2.Awards,honours,andtributes3.MariaSkłodowskawasborninWarsaw,intheRussianpartitionofPoland,on7November1867,asthefifthandyoungestchildofwell-knownteachersBronisława,néeBoguska,andWładysławSkłodowski.Onboththepaternalandmaternalsides,thefamilyhadlosttheirpropertyandfortunesthroughpatrioticinvolvementsinPolishnationaluprisingsaimedatrestoringPoland'sindependence.Thiscondemnedthesubsequentgeneration,includingMaria,hereldersistersandherbrother,toadifficultstruggletogetaheadinlife.BiographyWhenshewastenyearsold,MariabeganattendingtheboardingschoolofJ.Sikorska;nextsheattendedagymnasiumforgirls,fromwhichshegraduatedon12June1883withagoldmedal.Unabletoenrollinaregularinstitutionofhighereducationbecauseshewasawoman,sheandhersisterBronisławabecameinvolvedwiththeclandestineFlyingUniversity,aPolishpatrioticinstitutionofhigherlearningthatadmittedwomenstudents.Whileworkingforthelatterfamily,shefellinlovewiththeirson,KazimierzŻorawski,afutureeminentmathematician.Hisparentsrejectedtheideaofhismarryingthepennilessrelative,andKazimierzwasunabletoopposethem.Maria'slossoftherelationshipwithŻorawskiwastragicforboth.Hesoonearnedadoctorateandpursuedanacademiccareerasamathematician,becomingaprofessorandrectorofKrakówUniversity.Still,asanoldmanandamathematicsprofessorattheWarsawPolytechnic,hewouldsitcontemplativelybeforethestatueofMariaSkłodowskawhichhadbeenerectedin1935beforetheRadiumInstitutethatshehadfoundedin1932.1Inlate1891,sheleftPolandforFrance.Here,Mariaproceededwithherstudiesofphysics,chemistry,andmathematicsattheUniversityofParis,wheresheenrolledinlate1891.Sheearnedaseconddegreein1894.MariehadbegunherscientificcareerinPariswithaninvestigationofthemagneticpropertiesofvarioussteels,commissionedbyTheSocietyfortheEncouragementofNationalIndustry.ThatsameyearPierreCurieenteredherlife.Theirmutualpassionforsciencebroughtthemincreasinglycloser,andtheybegantodevelopfeelingsforoneanother.On26July1895theyweremarriedinSceaux(Seine);neitherwantedareligiousservice.Marie'sdarkblueoutfit,worninsteadofabridalgown,wouldserveherformanyyearsasalaboratoryoutfit.Theysharedtwopastimes:longbicycletrips,andjourneysabroad,whichbroughtthemevencloser.InPierre,Mariehadfoundanewlove,apartner,andascientificcollaboratoronwhomshecoulddepend.In1897,herdaughterIrènewasborn.InJuly1898,Curieandherhusbandpublishedajointpaperannouncingtheexistenceofanelementwhichtheynamedpolonium,inhonourofhernativePoland,whichwouldforanothertwentyyearsremainpartitionedamongthreeempires.On26December1898,theCuriesannouncedtheexistenceofasecondelement,whichtheynamedradium,fromtheLatinwordforray.Inthecourseoftheirresearch,theyalsocoinedthewordradioactivity.Between1898and1902,theCuriespublished,jointlyorseparately,atotalof32scientificpapers,includingonethatannouncedthat,whenexposedtoradium,diseased,tumor-formingcellsweredestroyedfasterthanhealthycells.InDecember1903,theRoyalSwedishAcademyofSciencesawardedPierreCurie,MarieCurie,andHenriBecquereltheNobelPrizeinPhysics.InDecember1904,Curiegavebirthtotheirseconddaughter,Ève.On19April1906,Pierrewaskilledinaroadaccident.In1910Curiesucceededinisolatingradium;shealsodefinedaninternationalstandardforradioactiveemissionsthatwaseventuallynamedforherandPierre:thecurie.In1911itwasrevealedthatin1910–11Curiehadconductedanaffairofaboutayear'sdurationwithphysicistPaulLangevin,aformerstudentofPierre's—amarriedmanwhowasestrangedfromhiswife.Thisresultedinapressscandalthatwasexploitedbyheracademicopponents.Curie(theninhermid-40s)wasfiveyearsolderthanLangevinandwasmisrepresentedinthetabloidsasaforeignJewishhome-wrecker.Whenthescandalbroke,shewasawayataconferenceinBelgium;onherreturn,shefoundanangrymobinfrontofherhouseandhadtoseekrefuge,withherdaughters,inthehomeofafriend.Internationalrecognitionforherworkhadbeengrowingtonewheights,andtheRoyalSwedishAcademyofSciences,overcomingoppositionpromptedbytheLangevinscandal,honoredherasecondtime,withthe1911NobelPrizeinChemistry.Thisawardwasinrecognitionofherservicestotheadvancementofchemistrybythediscoveryoftheelementsradiumandpolonium,bytheisolationofradiumandthestudyofthenatureandcompoundsofthisremarkableelement.ShewasthefirstpersontowinorsharetwoNobelPrizes.CurievisitedPolandforthelasttimeinearly1934.Afewmonthslater,on4July1934,shediedattheSancellemozSanatoriuminPassy,inHaute-Savoie,fromaplasticanemiabelievedtohavebeencontractedfromherlong-termexposuretoradiation.ShewasinterredatthecemeteryinSceaux,alongsideherhusbandPierre.Sixtyyearslater,in1995,inhonouroftheirachievements,theremainsofbothweretransferredtothePanthéon,Paris.ShebecamethefirstwomantobehonouredwithintermentinthePanthéononherownmerits.In2015,twootherwomenwerealsointerredontheirownmerits.LegacyIfCurie'sworkhelpedoverturnestablishedideasinphysicsandchemistry,ithashadanequallyprofoundeffectinthesocietalsphere.Toattainherscientificachievements,shehadtoovercomebarriersthatwereplacedinherwaybecauseshewasawoman,inbothhernativeandheradoptivecountry.Thisaspectofherlifeandcare