Marie Sklodowska Curie was a pioneering scientist who made groundbreaking discoveries about radioactivity. She was born in Poland in 1867 and moved to Paris in 1891 to study physics and mathematics. While there, she met and married fellow scientist Pierre Curie. Together, they discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium. Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize and remains the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, receiving honors in both physics and chemistry for her work on radioactivity. She overcame barriers as a female scientist and made lasting contributions to our understanding of atomic structure and nuclear physics.

1. Marie Sklodowska Curie
By Vassilina Adamopoulou
Lechena May 2012

2. 20th century
The century of atom
• In 1919 scientists managed to break the
atom
• Maria Sklodowska – Curie was one of the
first who researched and studied the
radioactivity

3. • Maria was born on 7th November 1867
in Warsaw
• She finished her school in 1883 and she
worked as a teacher
• In 1891 she went to Paris to study
Mathematics and Physics in University of
Sorbonne

4. • She graduated in Physics after two years and
in Math's the year after.
• She met Pierre Curie, Professor in the School
of Physics, in 1894 and fell in love.
• They got married the year after.

5. • In 1895 Roedgen discovered the x-ray and the
next year Becquerel discovered a stronger
unknown type of rays coming from the
element Uranium.
• In her laboratory Marie was searching for
materials which released the same type of
rays as Uranium. She discovered the element
Thorium.

6. • In 1898 she discovered a new element which
named Polonium, the name of her country.
• She named the elements like Uranium and
Polonium as “radioactive”.
• Marie believed that there are more
“radioactive” elements and continue her
researches. She discovered the element
Radium.

7. Marie and the Radium

8. • After the birth of her daughter Irene, Marie
felt very sick because of the explosion in
radioactivity.

9. • On November of 1903 Marie and Pierre
shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with
Becquerel about their research in
radioactivity.

10. • In 1904 Pierre became a professor in
Sorbonne University . The same year Marie
born her second daughter Eva.

11. • On April 1906 Pierre was killed in an accident.
• Marie became a professor in Sorbonne and
she was the first woman professor in the
University.

12. • In 1911 she won a second Nobel Prize in
Chemistry and she is the only woman in this
honor.
• During the First World War Marie helped with
her knowledge.
• In 1922 she elected in French Academy of
Medical.
• In 1928 she met the President of the USA

13. • On 4th of July1934 Marie died.
• She is buried in the Pantheon in Paris. The
French people wanted to honor Madame
Curie as she is the only woman who is buried
there!

14. The tomb of Marie and Pierre Curie in the
Pantheon

15. • UNESCO and IUPAC declare 2011 as the
International Year of Chemistry honoring the
100th anniversary of her Nobel Prize in
Chemistry.