Marie and Pierre Curie (1894–1906)
Because women were not able to attend university
in Poland in the 19
century, Maria Sklodowska
left Poland to study at a French university in 1891.
Now known by the French name Marie, she worked
hard in the laboratory, catching the attention of
Pierre Curie, the laboratory director. Marie and Pierre
married in 1895. Although they were very poor,
they were both devoted to their research and to
each other.
In 1898, the couple discovered the elements
polonium and radium. They eventually won the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 for the discovery
of radioactivity. When Pierre died in 1906, Marie
honored his memory by continuing their work. In
1911, Marie Curie won another Nobel Prize, this time
for Chemistry. She was the first person to win the
Nobel Prize twice.