Marie_Curie

Marie Curie Number 58 on the list of 100 Most Influential People of the Last Millennium Marie (Sklodowska) Curie or Manya (the name her loved ones called her as a child) was born on November 7, 1867 to parents Bronislawa and Vladislav Sklodowska. Marie and her four siblings grew up in Warsaw which at the time was a part of Poland that was dominated by Russia. Because, of the overruling Czar the people of Warsaw were subjected to oppression. This oppression was mostly exerted on the Polish private schools and the children, and caused the private schools that were directed by Polish people to be closely watched by the police or shut down. However, being that Marie’s father had been a secondary-school teacher, she was able to receive her general education from him as well as some scientific training. Marie’s parent were part of the Polish Patriots and were determined to regain control of their nation this fight caused Marie and her siblings to value their education in a way that only other Polish children could understand. Once Marie’s father was removed from his teaching position by the government, poverty began to eat away at the family and at the age of 11 Marie’s mother passed away from tuberculosis. The passing of Marie’s mother drew the family closer and pushed Marie further into her education. Marie loved learning and found mathematics and physics easy. It was this ease of learning that helped Marie excel in all of her school work and by the age of 15 she was graduating from high school at the top of her class. Unfortunately, the loss of her mother and sister which took place while she was in school caused Marie to suffer from depression and when school was over her father made arrangements for Marie to live with other family in the country and this year away turned out to be the only year in Marie’s life that she would consider carefree. (AIP, 2010) Once Marie returned home she quickly got back to improving her education. By this time her brothers were both attending medical school at the University of Warsaw but since girls were not allowed to attend Marie and her sister got their education from a school called the Floating University. (AIP, 2010) The school got is title from the fact that the classes were held at different locations. The reason for this was that the still Russian ruling Czar did not want the women to obtain self-improvement or higher education. Also, during this time Marie, who was now 17 made a pact to help her sister go to school in Paris and though she wanted to teach in a school she quickly realized all that was available to her was to teach various subject to the children of wealthy families. This employment did not pay well and after only two years Marie changed from being a teacher to being a governess. It was at this job that Marie met her first love Kazmierz Zorawski. He was the oldest son to the family in which Marie worked for caring for his younger siblings. However, because Marie came from a poor background the couple was not allowed to marry and eventually they stuck to being secret lovers. The reality of being poor affected Marie so deeply that she began a course of self study which included subjects such as sociological, works of literature along with physics and chemistry. She also took the equivalent of an advanced math course with her father by mail. (Quinn, 1996) It was during this time that Marie became involved in a student revolutionary organization, which was a secret organization that believed the hope of their country lay in a great effort to develop the intellectual and moral strength of the nation, and that such an effort would lead to a better national situation. (Pasachoff, 1996) After the many years of working to help pay for her sisters medical education at the Sorbonne School in Paris, Marie finally returned home to live with her father again. However, this time was different. Though Warsaw was still under Russian rule Marie’s father was once again allowed to work within the education system. He now had a well paying job as the Director of a reform school and while Marie had been working to help her sister, her father had been setting aside money to repay Marie for helping her sister. Finally, Marie was able to leave Warsaw and in 1891 at the age of 24 Marie left to attend the Sorbonne School in Paris and start what would be the beginning of her future. Marie’s first year at the Sorbonne School was a difficult but happy time, because she did not receive the same education as her follow French classmates. This problem seemed minor to Marie, it simply meant that she would have to work harder. To reduce her travel time so she could be closer to the school and be able to access to school resources Marie moved into a small attic loft. The winters in this small space got so cold that at night Marie would have to pile all of her belongings onto her bed and get under them to stay warn. The only heat source was a small coal burning stove but with little money Marie reserved her coal when she had any. Despite the cold of winter and the lack of food Marie was happy. Being away from home, having the independence to learn as she wished and doing all this at the school so had longed to attend suited Marie and her diligence to her education pushed her to rank at the top of her class and in 1893 Marie received her first Master’s Degree in the field of Physics. Due to a lack of money Marie was unable to complete her Master’s Degree in Mathematics but a senior French scientist who took notice of Marie’s abilities helped Marie to win a scholarship that was awarded to one outstanding Polish student each year. Now, that Marie had the money for school she was able to complete her studies and in only one year after receiving her first Master’s degree Marie received her second Master’s degree in the field of Mathematics. During this year, Marie was also asked to do a study relating magnetic properties of different steels to their chemical composition. The request came from the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry. Excited about doing the study Marie set out to find a lab that she could conduct her studies and research in. In the spring of 1894, Marie Sklodowska mentioned her need for a lab to a Polish physicist friend of hers and while he listened it occurred to him that his colleague Pierre Curie might be able to assist her. Curie, who had done pioneering research on magnetism, was laboratory chief at the Municipal School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry in Paris. (Pasachoff, 1996) This meeting developed into first a working relationship and then into a romantic relationship and in 1895 the couple was married. After getting married Marie continued her with her education and with her research, she was determined to receive her doctorate in Physics and Magnetism. Marie was also determined to see that the 15years of scientific research that her husband had completed did not go unrecognized and she urged him to also complete his doctorate. With Marie’s encouragement Pierre completed his doctorate and was awarded his Doctorate Degree in 1895. This accomplishment was reward with a position of Professor at the Municipal School in Paris, France. In 1897 Marie’s study for the Encouragement of National Industry was complete, however by this time the discovery of radiation had taken place and Marie who was fully interested in the science of radiation had already begun studying uranium radiations. Using piezoelectric techniques devised by her husband, Marie carefully measured the radiations in pitchblende (a brown to black mineral that consists of massive uraninite, has a distinctive luster, contains radium and is the chief ore (mineral source) of uranium. ("Pitchblende," 2010) When she found that the radiations from the ore were more intense than those from uranium itself, she realized that unknown elements, even more radioactive than uranium, must be present. Marie Curie was the first to use the term radioactive to describe elements that give off radiations as their nuclei break down. Pierre Curie ended his own work on magnetism to join his wife's research, and in 1898 the Curies announced their discovery of two new elements: radium and polonium (named by Marie in honor of Poland). (2007) During this time of transition in Marie’s work, she and Pierre had their first child, a daughter they named Irene, born September of 1897. Being a wife, mother, teacher and scientist began to put a strain on Marie but due to the loss of Pierre’s mother that same year, Pierre’s father sadden with grief and lonely from the loss of his wife helps the family by moving in and taking care of Irene while she and Pierre worked. In fact, written by Marie in her daily diary Marie says “It became a serious problem how to take care of our little Irene and of our home without giving up my scientific work. Such a renunciation would have been very painful tome, and my husband would not even think of it...So the close union of our family enabled me to meet my obligations.” (Pasachoff, 1996) In 1904, Marie had her second child another daughter they named Eva. Over the next few years Marie rotated her life around her family and the work/research she shared with her husband and in 1903she and her husband were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the discovery of radioactive elements, as well as, the Davy Medal of the Royal Society. Marie was the first women to ever receive the Nobel Prize and in 1911 she became the first and only women to receive a second Nobel Prize this one was for her sole work in the field of Chemistry for isolating pure radium. Between the years of 1903 and 1911 Marie experienced many highs in her career as a teacher and a scientist. Marie's loss during this time was the result of her husband passing away in April, 1906 after many days and nights of continuous work the couple began to feel the strain. However, never declining an opportunity to speak with colleagues Pierre Curie went out in a storm to a luncheon, as he returned he slipped on the wet street and was run over by a horse-drawn wagon. Pierre Currie died instantly and though devastated on the day following the funeral Marie was back at work determined to complete the research that she and her husband had begun so many years ago. (AIP, 2010) The remainder of Marie’s life was devoted to her children, teaching and her research. Along the way she published many research thesis’s, and article’s. The importance of Marie’s work is reflected in the numerous awards bestowed on her. She received many honorary science, medicine and law degrees and honorary memberships of learned societies throughout the world. (Nobelprize.org, 2010) On July 4, 1934, at the age of 67 Marie Curie passed away from aplastic pernicious anemia (leukemia) which was the result of her overexposure to radiation. In conclusion, the life of Marie Curie, and her discovery and research in the field of physics should be commended. Marie’s determination and dedication toward her own personal education and the uplifting of the Polish people is amazing. Even while working in cold, wet, small and cramped laboratories she and her husband never gave up and for all of their efforts we still benefit from their work. The discovery of radioactive elements was a brake through, not only for the medical field but also for the fields of geology and archeology. The most recent archeology use of the radioactive elements that the Curie’s discovered is used in the process of carbon dating.(AIP,2010) However, in everyday life the use of radium was most commonly seen on the faces of watches, aircraft switches, clocks, nuclear panels and instrument dials for the purpose of luminescence. ("Radium," 2010) There is no doubt that Marie Curie should be honored as number 58 on the list of World’s 100 Most Influential People of the Last Millennium. Bibliography (2007). The Great Idea Finder. Retrieved from http://www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/curie.htm#The Story American Institute of Physics. (2010). Maria Curie and The Science of Radioactivity. Retrieved from http://www.aip.org/history/curie/ Curie, E. (2001). Madame Curie: A Biography (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Da Capo Press. Nobel Prize.org. (2010). Maria Curie - Biography. Retrieved from http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1903/marie-curie-bio.html Pasachoff, , N. (1996). Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity. New York, NY: Oxford University Press Pitchblende. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitchblende Quinn, S. (1996). Maria Curie:A Life. New York, NY: Simon &Schuster. Radium. (2010). In Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium