-
She was born Maria Sklodowska on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland.
-
When she was only 10, Curie lost her mother, Bronislawa, to tuberculosis.
-
Maria graduated with honors from highschool at 16.
-
Despite being a top student in her secondary school, Curie could not attend the men's-only University of Warsaw. She instead continued her education in Warsaw's "floating university," a set of underground, informal classes held in secret.
Meanwhile she worked as a tutor and governess to save money and leave Poland -
Curie finally made her way to Paris and enrolled at the Sorbonne with a scholarship.
-
Curie completed her master's degree in physics in 1893 and earned another degree in mathematics the following year.
-
She met Pierre Curie, Professor in the School of Physics in 1894
-
Marie eventually married Pierre Curie
-
Marie's discoveries after months of research were published for the first time in the "Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences" on the 12 April 1898
-
In 1903, Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, along with her husband and Henri Becquerel, for their work on radioactivity.
-
Following the tragic death of Pierre Curie in 1906, she took his place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position.
-
Curie was awarded her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her discovery of radium and polonium.
-
Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934, of aplastic anemia, believed to be caused by prolonged exposure to radiation.
