Community Chat

[Oznell]

Born on November 7, 1867,  Marie Sklodowska Curie, brilliant Polish-French physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize twice, for both physics and chemistry.

Along with her husband, fellow physicist Pierre Curie, she discovered two elements, polonium (named in tribute to her native Poland, of which she was very proud) and radium.

Of course, the ground-breaking career was not without its terrible price.  Her exposure to radioactivity (not fully understood at the time) resulted in aplastic anemia, from which she died at the young age of 66.

But not before she had broken new ground, and made multiple world-class contributions to the world of science.  There is so much more to her impactful life.   A quickie refresher, for anyone interested:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Curie

[Cakers3]

I didn't read the link so this may have been in it.

Her laboratory notebooks and other items are stored in lead lined boxes.

The radioactivity  will take 1600 years more to dissipate (I could be wrong about the years).  I'm going by what I read about her a long time ago.

Plus her body was buried in a coffin lined with lead (I believe 2 inches).

The museum will allow some visitors to look at some items but they must wear protective gear and sign a waiver of liability.

Thank you @Oznell for posting.

[Anonymous032819]

Aaand she died from radiation poisoning.

What she discovered ended up killing her.

Can't leave out that important part of history.

I know that it's not "romantic" to look at the dark side of history, but it is just as important, if not more so than the history that we love to look back upon with rose-colored glasses.

[Oznell]

Yeah, knowledgeable @Cakers3, I've read something similar-- that scholars have to take extraordinary measures to protect themselves, just to handle her papers.  Had no idea the hazard lasted as long as you discovered.  Imagine!

I was wondering, since she carried radioactive samples in her pockets, etc.,  if her children were affected too.  I know her husband died young due to an accident, but have a feeling the radioactivity would have gotten to him too if he had lived long enough.  Tragic.

[Oznell]

Agreed, @Anonymous032819,  that's why I included the information in my original post.   It's an integral part of the story of her life.

[Ruby Laine]

She was an amazing woman, @Oznell. One of her daughters who worked with Marie died of leukemia, which could have been due to radiation poisoning. But I think the other one lived to be close to 100.  She wrote a biography about her mother. I read it many years ago, but I'm thinking I need to read it again. 

[Anonymous032819]

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@Oznell wrote:

Yeah, knowledgeable @Cakers3, I've read something similar-- that scholars have to take extraordinary measures to protect themselves, just to handle her papers.  Had no idea the hazard lasted as long as you discovered.  Imagine!

I was wondering, since she carried radioactive samples in her pockets, etc.,  if her children were affected too.  I know her husband died young due to an accident, but have a feeling the radioactivity would have gotten to him too if he had lived long enough.  Tragic.

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Her daughter, Eve Curie died in 2007 at the age of 102, so I highly doubt that she was affected by her mother's radiation poisioning.

Her granddaughter, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, is still alive at the ripe old age of 93.

• Her maternal grandparents were Marie and Pierre Curie, famous for their study of radioactivity, for which they won a Nobel Prize in physics with Henri Becquerel in 1903.
•  
• Marie Curie is the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, her second was awarded in chemistry in (1911) for her discoveries of radium and polonium.

• Her parents, Jean Frédéric Joliot-Curie (born Jean Frédéric Joliot) (who was mentored by Marie) and Irène Joliot-Curie (born Irène Curie), won a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1935 for their discovery of artificial radioactivity.

• Her brother Pierre Joliot is a noted biophysicist who has made contributions to the study of photosynthesis.

[Oznell]

Wow, thanks for that, @Ruby Laine..   I had a vague memory from the child's biography I read of Marie Curie, that her daughters, Irene and Eve I think their names were, were interesting.  I'd love to read about that whole remarkable family again...

[Ruby Laine]

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@Oznell wrote:

Wow, thanks for that, @Ruby Laine..   I had a vague memory from the child's biography I read of Marie Curie, that her daughters, Irene and Eve I think their names were, were interesting.  I'd love to read about that whole remarkable family again...

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You are right. I'd forgotten their names. Eve wrote the biography.

[ScarletDove]

@Oznell  Thank you for posting this with the link...I knew today was Marie Curie's birthday but your posting tweeked my interest and I went searching for more information.  Pierre and Marie Curie were two incredible people to be honored.  A real shame for Pierre's unfortunate accidental death when the children were so young. I did not know their older daughter Irene was also highly educated and involved in chemistry and physics and awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly to Frederic Joliot and Irene Joliot-Curie (husband&wife) "in recognition of their synthesis of new radioactive elements" in 1935.  Extremely interesting what this family discovered, accomplished, endured and sacrificed for their incredible discoveries!