Meet Madame Curie:

First Lady of Science

If you’re like a lot of folks, you might think that science is kind of a “guy thing.” And not too many years back that was the case. Today, woman work in all areas of science – medicine, research, study, teaching - even in outer space!

But it wasn’t too long ago that woman and science just didn’t mix – that is until Madame Marie Curie became the First Lady of Science.

What made Marie Curie different?

Marie Curie was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. (Use the world wide web to locate Poland on a map.) She received a typical education for a girl of that day. However, her father spent a great deal of time teaching young Marie about science, technology and, most importantly, research.

This was unheard of at the time when women stayed home, raised families and had few options in life. Young Marie Curie was determined to make her own options.

She enrolled at a famous college in Paris to earn her first degrees. Again, it was most unusual for woman to attend college – especially to learn chemistry, physics and other sciences.

It was in Paris that Marie Curie met her husband, Pierre, who was a professor in the school of physics. In 1895, Pierre and Marie married, both dedicated to the study of radiation and radioactivity.

Marie Curie was smart, curious and every bit the equal of her co-researchers. In fact, she shared the Nobel Prize for Physics with her husband for their study of “spontaneous radiation.” Madame Curie was the first women to win a Nobel Prize.

In 1906, Pierre Curie died, in part because of his exposure to highly radioactive materials that sometimes sickened Marie Curie as well. At this early stage, the dangers of radiation poisoning weren’t well-known.

Madame Curie: Helping Others With New Technology

Marie Curie was a ground breaking woman who led the way for the thousands of woman who now stand beside their male co-workers. Her view of the research she conducted always remained focused on healing others. All her life, Marie Curie fought for the use of radiation to help the sick.

And today, radiation is, indeed, used to treat different diseases, most often cancer. The use of this medical technology can be traced directly to this remarkable woman. And how’s this for smart: in 1911, she won a second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry. Few people win a single Nobel prize. This remarkable, unassuming woman won two in her lifetime.

She proved that woman could be as useful in conducting research as men and she worked in a “man’s world” where she was often considered a gifted oddity.

You can discover a lot more about women in science simply by conducting a web search. Today, woman work in laboratories all over the world. You can, too.

However, it was the remarkable, curious mind of Madame Marie Curie who led the way as the First Lady of Science.

Got science on your mind? We know the feeling so visit us at Science With Me!, where science and fun mash up together. You’re just a click away from a ton of science fun.

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