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During the time that Curie's mother was expecting, her family was living under a statist regime, meaning their country was under civil unrest. The Curies were both teachers and their employment was unsteady. The Curies jumped from job to job and struggled to find appropriate living arrangements. These circumstances resulted in Marie's mother experiencing stress. Stress during pregnancy can impact fetal brain development, immunity and childhood attention deficiencies. -
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While a young child, Marie Curie received a general education from a local French school. While in school, Marie developed a great passion for science. Being a girl, it was difficult for her to get a proper science education, so her father taught her fundamental scientific theories. Curie was known for her commitment and diligence, so much so that she disregarded meals and sleep to prioritize school. -
When Marie was only eleven years old, her mother tragically passed from tuberculosis. Without her mother's income, her father could no longer financially support her. This caused Marie to become a governess and support herself. Although she was only 11, I would classify her in the formal operational stage. Marie was somewhat forced into this stage early due to the fact that she has to use predictions, think about the future, and use logical reasoning in order to survive. -
At the age of 17, Marie's sister, Bronya, made a proposition: if Marie helped her through her medical school classes, as a reward, she would help pave the way for Marie once she was graduated and making money. -
At 24, Marie enrolls at Sorbonne University to study Physics. According to Piaget, this is Curie's pique. She is her healthiest, her perceptual and logical skills are the sharpest, and she is at her strongest. At this time, she begins to study radiation in hopes of doing her thesis. -
While writing her thesis, Marie found that a radioactive ore was reading to be more radioactive than uranium would've accounted for. This led to Pierre Curie, her husband, to discovering Polonium. In 1898, Polonium was added as element number 84 on the periodic table. -
After her research on Radiation Phenomena in 1903, Curie became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Science. Originally, Pierre was only suggested, but he refused to accept with Marie earning it alongside him. This not only a large accomplishment, but it displays Erikson's intimacy vs isolation. At this stage, people form meaningful, long-term relationships that usually are romantic partners. -
In 1906, after twelve years of marriage and having 2 children, Pierre was tragically struck by a horse drawn carriage and killed. This leaves Marie to finish raising their daughters and their collaborative research. -
In 1911, Marie was awarded a second Nobel Prize in chemistry for the discovery of element number 88, radium. Curie is the only person to have won a Nobel Prize in 2 different branches of science. This earned her a spot as the director in the Curie Laboratory. -
At the age of 66, Curie passed away from aplastic anemia. After research, it has been determined that Curie fell ill from long-term radium exposure. In fact, some of her belongings are so radioactive, that they are stored in lead boxes.