Marie Curie was a pioneering female scientist born in Poland in 1867 who became a French citizen. She was one of the first women to win the Nobel Prize, receiving it in Physics in 1903 for her research on radiation and again in 1911 for discovering the elements radium and polonium. Marie Curie overcame obstacles as a female scientist and made groundbreaking discoveries that contributed to the development of X-rays and cancer treatments, establishing her as one of the most accomplished scientists of her time.