Marie Curie Years
Maria Skłodowska was born in Warsaw in Congress Poland in the Russian Empire
on the 7th November 1867. Throughout the Polish national uprisings in the 1860s
Maria's family had lost not only their property, but also their fortune. This would
cause great consternation and give Maria and her siblings a difficult start in life, but
also a struggle over the coming years. As Maria grew older, her love and pursuit was
now of education, and she looked forward to learning more about her chosen
subjects of physics and mathematics. These were subjects her father had drawn her
to as a child at school. Yet at the time, Russian authorities had banned all laboratory
instruction within schools. And to his dismay, her father had to think what was best
for his family. So to remedy this, he brought home some of the equipment
to continue his teachings.
Her mother was a principal at a prestigious Boarding School for Girls, but
she resigned after Maria was born. And then sadly, she died in May 1878, from
tuberculosis. Maria was just 10 at the time. This was a very low time in the life of
Maria, and it would be after she graduated in 1883, that she collapsed, quite
possibly due to fatigue, but more likely due to depression. The following year, she
was taken to the countryside for rest and recuperation and stayed with relatives of
her father. Although she was still unable to enrol in higher education. Along with
their sister, she became involved in what was known as a flying University. This was
an institute that would allow women to be admitted without any questions asked.
Maria made an agreement with her sister that she would help with studies in Paris if,
the favour was returned as and when she required it. Maria took a role as governess
to earn money initially as a home tutor. But then she went to work for a family the
Zorawskis, it would be then that she'd fall in love with Kazimierz, and he
would go on to become an eminent mathematician, but his parents rejected her,
citing, her lack of wealth. It was another sad part to the early life of Maria. At the start
of 1890, her sister had married and it was now she asked Maria to join them in Paris,
but Maria declined, stating that the costs were too high for her to get the
university tuition that she yearned. Her life was on hold, but her determination, saw
her continue to educate herself. She remained as a governess and in Warsaw until 1891.
It would be towards the end of the year that Maria finally arrived in Paris.
While in France, she was known as Marie and she stayed with her sister and her
husband on a temporary basis before renting an attic within a house that was much
closer to the university. Her further education was now a reality and Marie studied
hard concentrating on Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Although the following months
would prove to be a toll on her. Not only was she studying in the day, but she
continued to teach in the evenings to earn enough money to pay her way. This changed
though, in 1893, Marie graduated with a degree in physics, but her success didn't stop
there. She continued to work at the University with a fellowship which gained her a
second degree in 1894. She was now well on our way to securing her dream of a
scientific career.
She started her new work with a study of magnetic properties in various Steel's. It had
been commissioned by the Society for the encouragement of national industry, an
organisation that supported French industry. It was also at this time she first met
Pierre Curie. And with their interest in science, it was one of the main interests
that drew them together. They both had a mutual passion when it came to science, and
it was also the science of love that made them inseparable. Pierre then proposed to
Marie, but she refused, stating that she was going back to Poland, but Pierre, who
was clearly besotted stated that he would also go with her, if that's what it would
take to remain together. Marie did go home to visit her family, but returned to Paris
after Pierre convinced her to pursue a PhD. So on July the 26th 1895, the couple were
married, but Marie not wanting a religious wedding turned up at the church in a
laboratory outfit, rather than a traditional bridal gown. But this didn't matter, the
couple were in love and now nothing would separate them. In 1895, a German physicist
Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X rays, although how these were created was still a
mystery. The following year, Henri Becquerel discovered uranium salts, it was the
salts that emitted rays that resemble the X rays. And unlike a phosphorus chemical,
neither depended on an external source of energy. It was now that Marie decided to
follow up this exciting work and continued research for a follow up thesis.
Her technique at the time was called innovative, although 15 years prior to these new
discoveries, she along with her husband and brother had developed an early version of
what was known as an electrometer. A device used in measuring electrical charge.
Her test concluded that the uranium generating the power was based upon the amount used,
but with the interaction of molecules. In other words, she had discovered that
molecules were in fact capable of being divided. By 1897, her daughter Irene was born
and to help support her ever growing family she returned to teaching. Although the
Curies didn't have a lab to do their experiments, they instead used an old shed.
And it was in these extreme working conditions that they continued, yet all the while
not knowing the dangers of the materials they had at their fingertips. Marie's studies
continued and she braved the long days and nights. Eventually though, two materials
came to the fore, one Pitchblende, which is a radium rich mineral, and Torbernite,
hydrated green copper. The electrometer showed that the pitchblende was four times as
active as uranium, and Torbernite twice as active. Her conclusion was that both the
substances tested were hiding a deeper secret, and a substance that was far more
active than uranium. By 1898, Pierre who was now so involved in the work of his wife
stopped his own work on crystals to help Marie with the ongoing investigation. Marie
was fully aware of her findings and that these would change the previous based
assumptions by notable scientists. Now it was time to publish her findings. Yet these
would go unnoticed, except for one sentence, which sets her above the rest. She
described how Pitchblende and Torbernite had a much greater activity than uranium.
She later stated that at the time, she wished she had been able to give her results in a
much quicker fashion. But the only way to find the new property was to literally go
into overdrive and process tonnes of Ore. It was in July 1898, that Marie and Pierre
published a paper and announced the new element, one named as Polonium. She'd
named after her country of Poland. And then on December the 26, they made a further
announcement stating another new element, this time Radium, and for the first time
the word radioactivity became the term we now use today. These new evidential
discoveries still had to be proven beyond any doubt. But this was no simple
endeavour, the minute quantities required had to be created. But in fact, only 1/10
of a gramme was isolated per tonne of Pitchblende. It was known as Radium Chloride in
1902. But it would take a further eight years before Marie Curie finally isolated
pure radium metal. Over there period of experimentation, the Curie's published 32 papers
on the work, including on one that when exposed to radium, tumour forming cells were
destroyed quicker than healthy ones. In 1903, Marie was invited to London to talk at
the Royal Institution, that being a woman she was prevented, and it would be a
husband that would give the speech.
In November 1903, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Pierre Curie and Marie
Curie the Nobel Prize for Physics. It was in recognition of the extraordinary
services and joint research into radiation. Marie Curie was the first woman to be
awarded the Nobel Prize. The couple decided not to go to Stockholm to collect the
prize. They claimed their work came first and must continue. Pierre was not a great
lover of public ceremonies, and although working he was becoming increasingly ill.
In 1905, the Curie's did visit due to the fact that all Prize winners were asked to
deliver a talk on their chosen subject. The monies they gathered from the award would
also now allow them to employ a lab assistant, but the laboratory which they so
dearly wanted, was to remain on hold. This was until the University of Paris agreed
to the plea, although it would not be ready until 1906. 1904 was another happy time
for Marie. She now gave birth to her second child, another daughter, Eve. She hired a
Polish governess to look after her child and to teach her native language. But just two
years later, when the thoughts of a new laboratory was on the horizon, tragedy
stroke, Pierre was killed while crossing a road he was struck by a horse drawn
vehicle, and he suffered a fractured skull. Marie was inconsolable. Her life to that
point had been above anything she could ever imagine. But her now one true love, her
rock had passed. The University of Paris Physics Department gave Marie the chair that
was intended for her husband, she accepted and became the first woman professor at
the University. Her aim now was to create a lab that would be world renowned as a
lasting tribute to her sorely missed Pierre. After all her successes, it would be 1910
that she failed to get elected to the French Academy of Sciences. The award went to
Branly and Marconi, the men behind the newly developed wireless telegraph. In fact, it
would be over half a century later that a woman was finally elected to the Academy.
Yet, despite her fame as a scientist of the time, the public held xenophobic fears
about Marie and speculation rose that she was Jewish, and denounced as a foreigner
and atheist. But her daughter later claimed hypocrisy in portraying her mother as an
unworthy foreigner. Yet as a heroine when she was receiving honours, such as the
Nobel Prize. More scandal was to follow in 1911, Marie was involved with a man called
Paul Langevin, he was separated from his wife, but the press pounced on the story,
and the news was gratifying for her opponents. But she was now the front page news
with headlines calling her a Jewish homewrecker. Above all else, no one could take
away her achievements as a scientist and a world class one or that. In 1911, after
overcoming the press and public onslaught, she was awarded another Nobel Prize, this
time for her work in chemistry. This was due to work in discovering the new elements of
Polonium and Radium, and she was the first person to win such an award twice. And
now, there was no doubt in the brilliance of this woman. She returned to Poland in
1913 for a short visit, but although welcomed by the Poles, the Russian leadership
gave her a little time. For now the world was about to change and war would become
a part of everyone's lives for the foreseeable future.
Marie now recognised that her efforts could potentially help wounded soldiers. She
created radiological centres close to the frontlines to support the men, to the point
where she could quite possibly avert amputations and save limbs. This was now
possible through her new X ray system. She gathered equipment including vehicles,
generators and developed a new mobile radiography unit. Initially, she was assisted
by her daughter, the now 17 year old Irene. Twenty mobile units were set up with another
200 field units within the first year. Throughout the war it had been estimated that
her X ray units treated over 1 million soldiers. And yet in spite of her work in
caring and all other aspects of humanitarianism, she was never given any formal
recognition from the French government. Yet undeterred another way she felt she could
help was by donating her Nobel medals to the war effort. But the French bank refused.
She said,
I am going to give up the little gold I possess. I shall add to this the scientific
medals which are quite useless to me, there is something else by sheer laziness, I
had allowed the money for my second Nobel prize to remain in Stockholm in Swedish
crowns. This is the chief part of what we possess. I should like to bring it back
here and invest it in war loans. The state needs it, only I have no illusions. This
money will probably be lost.
After the war ended. She wrote a book giving her own personal experiences through
those years, the book was titled Radiology in War. Her life changed much again in the
post war years, she was becoming very popular. She toured the United States and met
the US President Warren G. Harding in 1921, at the White House. The First Lady
praised her as a professional achiever and a supportive wife, and her popularity was
now also sparking interest from the French government. Although it previously seemed
there were quiet on this losing too much gratitude for her work. They offered a Legion
of Honour, quite possibly thinking back at her time and what she had achieved, but the
award was rejected. However, she did eventually become a fellow of the French Academy
of Medicine. By 1922, Marie was now gaining much more worldwide recognition, her new
role this time was to serve on newly created League of Nations. She would remain on
the committee until 1934, and work alongside some of the greatest names in science of
the 20th century, including Albert Einstein, Hendrick Lorentz, and Henry Bergson. In
1934, Marie would visit her homeland of Poland for the last time, it would be a few
months later on the 4th of July, she would die at a sanatorium in eastern France.
Her death was set because by aplastic anaemia caused by a years of exploration and
exposure to radiation. It was still a subject that little was known about and the
lasting effects, but this was later changed, and new safety measures were put in place
to prevent future deaths. Marie carried test tubes in her pocket containing radioactive
materials, along with storing them in her desk drawer. She even said that they emitted
a faint light in the dark. Marie's body was exhumed in 1995, the conclusion to her death
was that it was unlikely she had been exposed to lethal amounts of radiation while
alive, as radium only posed a threat if ingested. They did go on to say though, that
her illness was more likely to have come through her use of radiography. During the
war years. She was again interred in a lead lined coffin, this time alongside her
husband, Pierre. And one amazing feature that still resonates to this day is the fact
that her initial papers, and even her cookbooks are still very high in radioactivity.
The papers are sealed in leadline boxes, and anyone who wishes to view them now must
wear protective clothing. Marie Curie's brilliance in science in which she attained
such enormity are beyond simple praise alone. Her achievements in the scientific
field still stand out as one of the greatest moments in human history. She came from
a background of education, and one in which her parents are to take great
satisfaction in how their daughter grew into a confident, articulate loving wife, and
mother. But beyond that her identification to continually push the boundaries of
science are quite unbelievable. The barriers which hampered Marie both in Poland and
France would never ultimately stop her from success. Monetary gains, gifts, awards
and affiliations were not at the top of her list, and many such gifts were turned down.
Today we can look back on her life with much adoration. She came from humble
beginnings yet her work continues to inspire people. Now we are left with a memory of
one who gave and kept giving. Marie Curie will be immortalised as one of the greatest
women in history.