Further Details
Curie Marie (born Sklodovska) 1867–1934:
/’kj—•ri/
Polish scientist. In 1898 she reported the possible existence of a new, powerfully radioactive element in pitchblende ores. Her husband, Pierre (1859-1906), abandoned his own researches to assist her, and in the same year they announced the existence of polonium and radium. They isolated the pure elements 1902. Both scientists refused to take out a patent on their discovery and were jointly awarded the Davy Medal 1903 and the Nobel Prize for Physics 1903, with Henri Becquerel. Marie Curie wrote a Treatise on Radioactivity 1910, and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1911.
Born in Warsaw, Marie Curie studied in Paris from 1891. Her decision to investigate the nature of uranium rays was influenced by the publication of Henri Becquerel's experiments. She took no precautions against radioactivity and died a victim of radiation poisoning. Her notebooks, even today, are too contaminated to handle. In 1904 Pierre was appointed to a chair in physics at the Sorbonne, and on his death in a street accident was succeeded by his wife.