Marie Curie

Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie shared the nobel prize for physics in 1903.

In 1901 again Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel prize for Chemistry.

Her daughter Joliot also won a Nobel prize in Chemistry.

When Marie was a young girl she wished to become a Doctor. Her father told her that her elder sister Pronja wanted to be a Doctor too and he could not send both his daughters to medicine as he was not well off. Marie told her father that she would work and earn money and help her sister and her sister should help her once she finished her studies. Her sister left for France to study medicine and after that she helped Marie to study medicine.

In Paris Marie lived like a monk in a sixth floor attic where everything was in scarce. She used to eat bread and tea and egg was a luxury to her.

Later on she married Pierre Curie and discovered Radium. At that time the radium was $.1,50,000/- per gram. Everyone suggested Marie to patent radium, so she could earn more money. Marie told her friends that Radium is for the world and not for her.She did not patent it and everyone produced radium.

Marie never liked any medals or awards. She only kept the menu card that comes with the invitations as it is made of thick cardboard and she could make mathematical calculations on it.

When everyone wanted Marie to write about her life history she replied in simple terms. Marie was born in Warsaw, married Pierre and had two children.and worked in France.

(adapted from the book Science and Scientists)