Marie Sklodowska Curie was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, as the fifth and youngest child. Marie’s mother was a principal at an all-girls school, and Marie’s father taught math and physics. Even as a toddler Marie was always wanting to learn. At the age of four Marie basically taught herself how to read, even though her parents disapproved. She pursued a higher level of education even though she was already two years younger than her classmates. She graduated at the age of sixteen with a gold medal. It was hard to pursue a university education because Poland at the time was being ruled by Russia, and Russia did not like the women to be educated. At the age of eighteen, Marie spent her time teaching peasant children illegally. Even though Marie was born of noble descent, her family had financial problems, so at the age of twenty-four, Marie decided to go to Paris to learn more about math and physics. During the years of 1893 and 1894, Marie completed her studies, coming first at physics and second at math. It was during her time in Paris that Marie met Pierre Curie. In 1894 Marie met Pierre while working in a research laboratory working on the magnetic properties of steel. They married the next year, and it was considered a perfect marriage because both Curies were passionate about science. Together they worked on discovering Polonium, which was named after Poland, and radium. Marie and Pierre had two daughters, Irene and Eve, but having children did not stop them from working on what they loved. Marie was able to be a both an excellent mother and scientist. Pierre’s unexpected death in 1906 was a shock to Marie, but she continued in her study and in 1911 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the isolation of pure radium. “During World War I Marie, helped by her daughter, organized a radiological service for the French army. She herself rode ambulances to the front, with X- ray equipment, br...
