Marie Curie

She coined the term ‘radioactivity’; she was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize; and then, for good measure, she won it a second time.

Marie Curie explored the properties of radioactivity, and discovered two elements: radium and polonium. She applied her acquired knowledge to the field of medical science through the use of diagnostic X-rays and early assessments of its capacity to fight cancer. Her achievements were remarkable; however, they were even more noteworthy because she was a woman whose intellectual and scientific prowess were undeniable in a professional arena utterly dominated by men.

Born in the city of Warsaw, then a part of Imperial Russia, Maria Salomea Sklodowska was the fifth and youngest child of Wladyslaw and Bronislawa Boguska Sklodowski, both well-known educators who prized the pursuit of academic excellence. Her mother died of tuberculosis when Maria was only ten years old. Polish nationalism was a hallmark of the family’s world view, and the loss of property experienced during support of such movements and periodic uprisings had left them struggling financially.

Maria was educated in the local school system initially, while her father, a teacher of mathematics and physics,