Marie Curie

Easton Press Marie Curie books

Milestones in Medicine: On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in animals / Vaccination Against Smallpox / Germ Theory and Its Applications to Medicine & on the Antiseptic Principle of the Practice of Surgery / Radioactive Substances - Books That Changed The World - 2006

 

Marie Curie biography

Marie Skłodowska Curie, born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, was a pioneering physicist and chemist, renowned for her groundbreaking contributions to the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics. Marie Curie's life is a testament to her relentless pursuit of knowledge and her trailblazing achievements, which significantly influenced the landscape of scientific discovery. Marie Curie's early years were marked by a thirst for education, but as a woman in late 19th-century Europe, she faced obstacles to formal education. Undeterred, she moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, where she met and later married Pierre Curie, a fellow scientist. This partnership proved to be one of the most fruitful collaborations in the history of science.

In 1898, the Curies made a historic breakthrough by isolating two new elements, polonium, named after Marie's homeland of Poland, and radium. Their groundbreaking work on radioactivity laid the foundation for the new field of nuclear physics. In 1903, Marie Curie became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, which she shared with her husband and Henri Becquerel for their groundbreaking research on radioactivity. Tragedy struck in 1906 when Pierre Curie died in a tragic accident. Despite the personal loss, Marie Curie continued her scientific endeavors. In 1911, she received a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium, making her the first person to receive Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields.

Marie Curie's tireless dedication to science extended beyond her own achievements. During World War I, she played a crucial role in providing mobile radiography units, known as "Little Curies," to diagnose injuries on the battlefront. Despite facing gender bias and societal challenges, Marie Curie became the first female professor at the University of Paris and made significant contributions to the training of future scientists. Tragically, Marie Curie's exposure to radiation during her research took a toll on her health, and she succumbed to aplastic anemia on July 4, 1934. Her legacy, however, endures. Marie Curie's pioneering work not only advanced our understanding of the fundamental nature of matter but also paved the way for developments in medical diagnostics and treatment. Marie Curie's indomitable spirit, intellectual curiosity, and groundbreaking contributions to science have left an enduring mark on the scientific community. She remains an inspiration for aspiring scientists, particularly women, encouraging them to pursue their passion for knowledge and break barriers in the pursuit of discovery.

 

Radioactive Substances

The pioneering scientist’s doctoral thesis on radioactivity that won her the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1896, Antoine Henri Becquerel discovered the first evidence of radioactivity. Inspired by the physicist’s work, Marie Curie began investigating this phenomenon further with the help of her husband, Pierre. For four years, the couple researched various minerals and substances for radioactivity, a term she coined. In Radioactive Substances , Curie outlines with great detail her painstaking research and discoveries, which include the elements radium and polonium. Due to their breakthroughs, Marie and Pierre were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, the first of two for Marie.

In 1911, Marie Curie received the Nobel prize in chemistry for isolating radium. This profound distinction literally cost the scientist her life, for she ultimately died from exposure to the deadly rays from the element she and her husband discovered. Here is her story, recounted in her own words, of the momentous discovery and her further investigation of radioactive substances. Born in Poland in 1867, Marie Sklodowska enrolled at the Sorbonne after the University of Warsaw refused her admission because of her gender. There she not only earned her master's degree and doctorate in physics but also became the first woman faculty member in the school's history. In this memoir, she recounts the struggles and triumphs of a life dedicated to the study of science, in a tale whose truth makes it more gripping and poignant than any fiction.

The object of the present work is the publication of researches which I have been carrying on for more than four years on radio-active bodies. I began these researches by a study of the phosphorescence of uranium, discovered by M. Becquerel. The results to which I was led by this work promised to afford so interesting a field that Pierre Curie put aside the work on which he was engaged, and joined me, our object being the extraction of new radio-active substances and the further study of their properties.