MARIE CURIE AND THE DISCOVERY OF RADIOACTIVITY By: Christine It took one amazing team to discover radioactivity. Marie Curie was a big part of it. Marie was a Polish-born physicist and chemist. She was one of the most famous scientists of her time. Together with her husband they had changed the world. Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland. In 1891, she went to Paris to study physics and mathematics at Sorbonne. She met Pierre Curie there, a professor of the School of Physics. They were married on July 26, 1895. In 1898, Marie discovered radioactivity. This includes radium and polonium. The Curies realized that radioactivity was killing the cells in there body. Radioactivity kills cells in our body but it also kills unhealthy cells, too. Perhaps it would be useful in treating cancer. Radioactivity is often used as tracers in medical investigation. They can also be used to treat some conditions such as cancer. In 1903, Marie was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. She was the 1st women to receive the Nobel Prize. An interesting fact was that at first, the Nobel Prize was only awarded to Pierre Cure and Heri Becquerel. But Pierre refused it unless Marie was included. Sadly, on April 19, 1906, Pierre Curie’s life was cut short. Pierre was killed in street accident on his way to work. Marie took his place teaching at Sorbonne and was the first woman professor there. In 1911, Marie was the 1st person to receive a second Nobel Prize. This one was for her contribution to chemistry through her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. Marie Curie dies of cancer on July 4, 1934, as a result of handling radioactive materials for many years. Marie was one of the most important scientists in her time.
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