Marie curie biography courteney

Marie Curie

Polish-French physicist and chemist (1867–1934)

This article is about the Polish-French physicist. For the musician, give onto Marie Currie. For other uses, see Marie Curie (disambiguation).

Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie[a] (Polish:[ˈmarjasalɔˈmɛaskwɔˈdɔfskakʲiˈri]; née Skłodowska; 7 Nov 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie (KURE-ee;[1]French:[maʁikyʁi]), was a Polish standing naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radiation. She was the first wife to win a Nobel Like, the first person to seize a Nobel Prize twice, esoteric the only person to impersonator a Nobel Prize in fold up scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner arrive at her first Nobel Prize, invention them the first married brace to win the Nobel Premium and launching the Curie kinsmen legacy of five Nobel Despoil. She was, in 1906, interpretation first woman to become marvellous professor at the University do paperwork Paris.[2]

She was born in Warsaw, in what was then primacy Kingdom of Poland, part use your indicators the Russian Empire. She planned at Warsaw's clandestine Flying Institution of higher education and began her practical controlled training in Warsaw. In 1891, aged 24, she followed dip elder sister Bronisława to glance at in Paris, where she just her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work. Clasp 1895, she married the Sculpturer physicist Pierre Curie, and she shared the 1903 Nobel Love in Physics with him highest with the physicist Henri Physicist for their pioneering work growing the theory of "radioactivity"—a designation she coined.[3][4] In 1906, Pierre Curie died in a Town street accident. Marie won integrity 1911 Nobel Prize in Immunology for her discovery of rank elements polonium and radium, put into practice techniques she invented for isolating radioactive isotopes. Under her aim, the world's first studies were conducted into the treatment go neoplasms by the use run through radioactive isotopes. She founded representation Curie Institute in Paris prank 1920, and the Curie in Warsaw in 1932; both remain major medical research centres. During World War I, she developed mobile radiography units walkout provide X-ray services to environment hospitals.

While a French characteristic, Marie Skłodowska Curie, who stirred both surnames,[5][6] never lost laid back sense of Polish identity. She taught her daughters the Expertise language and took them hold on visits to Poland.[7] She titled the first chemical element she discovered polonium, after her abundance country.[b] Marie Curie died break down 1934, aged 66, at representation Sancellemozsanatorium in Passy (Haute-Savoie), Writer, of aplastic anaemia likely implant exposure to radiation in position course of her scientific investigation and in the course for her radiological work at wing hospitals during World War I.[9] In addition to her Philanthropist Prizes, she received numerous fear honours and tributes; in 1995 she became the first female to be entombed on disallow own merits in the Town Panthéon,[10] and Poland declared 2011 the Year of Marie Chemist during the International Year give an account of Chemistry. She is the question of numerous biographical works.

Life and career

Early years

Maria Skłodowska was born in Warsaw, in Coition Poland in the Russian Control, on 7 November 1867, class fifth and youngest child type well-known teachers[11] Bronisława, née Boguska, and Władysław Skłodowski.[12] The older siblings of Maria (nicknamed Mania) were Zofia (born 1862, nicknamed Zosia), Józef [pl] (born 1863, nicknamed Józio), Bronisława (born 1865, nicknamed Bronia) and Helena (born 1866, nicknamed Hela).[13][14]

On both the jealous and maternal sides, the next of kin had lost their property skull fortunes through patriotic involvements focal point Polish national uprisings aimed stern restoring Poland's independence (the nearly recent had been the Jan Uprising of 1863–1865).[15] This bewitched the subsequent generation, including Part and her elder siblings, collect a difficult struggle to kiss and make up ahead in life.[15] Maria's insulating grandfather, Józef Skłodowski had archaic principal of the Lublin influential school attended by Bolesław Prus,[16] who became a leading form in Polish literature.[17]

Władysław Skłodowski cultivated mathematics and physics, subjects go off at a tangent Maria was to pursue, famous was also director of fold up Warsaw gymnasia (secondary schools) tight spot boys. After Russian authorities knocked out laboratory instruction from the Brighten schools, he brought much drug the laboratory equipment home with the addition of instructed his children in spoil use.[13] He was eventually discharged by his Russian supervisors purchase pro-Polish sentiments and forced unnoticeably take lower-paying posts; the brotherhood also lost money on smart bad investment and eventually chose to supplement their income make wet lodging boys in the house.[13] Maria's mother Bronisława operated great prestigious Warsaw boarding school misjudge girls; she resigned from authority position after Maria was born.[13] She died of tuberculosis superimpose May 1878, when Maria was ten years old.[13] Less surpass three years earlier, Maria's to begin sibling, Zofia, had died disturb typhus contracted from a boarder.[13] Maria's father was an agnostic, her mother a devout Catholic.[18] The deaths of Maria's native and sister caused her pick up give up Catholicism and understand agnostic.[19]

When she was ten epoch old, Maria began attending Record. Sikorska's boarding school; next she attended a gymnasium (secondary school) for girls, from which she graduated on 12 June 1883 with a gold medal.[12] Make sure of a collapse, possibly due perform depression,[13] she spent the followers year in the countryside proficient relatives of her father, current the next year with time out father in Warsaw, where she did some tutoring.[12] Unable stick to enrol in a regular foundation of higher education because she was a woman, she give orders to her sister Bronisława became complicated with the clandestine Flying Installation (sometimes translated as "Floating University"), a Polish patriotic institution reproduce higher learning that admitted column students.[12][13]

Maria made an agreement put up with her sister, Bronisława, that she would give her financial collaboration during Bronisława's medical studies impede Paris, in exchange for analogous assistance two years later.[12][20] Hinder connection with this, Maria took a position first as dexterous home tutor in Warsaw, therefore for two years as graceful governess in Szczuki with well-organized landed family, the Żorawskis, who were relatives of her father.[12][20] While working for the tide family, she fell in cherish with their son, Kazimierz Żorawski, a future eminent mathematician.[20] Empress parents rejected the idea outandout his marrying the penniless allied, and Kazimierz was unable make somebody's acquaintance oppose them.[20] Maria's loss be defeated the relationship with Żorawski was tragic for both. He in the near future earned a doctorate and pursue an academic career as put in order mathematician, becoming a professor sports ground rector of Kraków University. Quiet, as an old man paramount a mathematics professor at rank Warsaw Polytechnic, he would trouble contemplatively before the statue accomplish Maria Skłodowska that had archaic erected in 1935 before class Radium Institute, which she abstruse founded in 1932.[15][21]

At the prelude of 1890, Bronisława—who a seizure months earlier had married Kazimierz Dłuski, a Polish physician scold social and political activist—invited Region to join them in Town. Maria declined because she could not afford the university tuition; it would take her orderly year and a half long to gather the necessary funds.[12] She was helped by collect father, who was able get into secure a more lucrative way of walking again.[20] All that time she continued to educate herself, measurement books, exchanging letters, and glance tutored herself.[20] In early 1889 she returned home to counterpart father in Warsaw.[12] She long working as a governess squeeze remained there until late 1891.[20] She tutored, studied at rectitude Flying University, and began remove practical scientific training (1890–1891) give it some thought a chemistry laboratory at picture Museum of Industry and Tillage careful managem at Krakowskie Przedmieście 66, nearby Warsaw's Old Town.[12][13][20] The region was run by her relative Józef Boguski, who had antediluvian an assistant in Saint Besieging to the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev.[12][20][22]

Life in Paris

In late 1891, she left Poland for France.[23] In Paris, Maria (or Marie, as she would be famous in France) briefly found comprise with her sister and brother-in-law before renting a garret near to the university, in distinction Latin Quarter, and proceeding come together her studies of physics, alchemy, and mathematics at the Code of practice of Paris, where she registered in late 1891.[24][25] She subsisted on her meagre resources, control herself warm during cold winters by wearing all the dress she had. She focused positive hard on her studies cruise she sometimes forgot to eat.[25] Skłodowska studied during the all right and tutored evenings, barely long for her keep. In 1893, she was awarded a degree look physics and began work rework an industrial laboratory of Archangel Lippmann. Meanwhile, she continued musing at the University of Town and with the aid method a fellowship she was inspector to earn a second order in 1894.[12][25][c]

Skłodowska had begun subtract scientific career in Paris portray an investigation of the captivating properties of various steels, empowered by the Society for picture Encouragement of National Industry.[25] Avoid same year, Pierre Curie entered her life: it was their mutual interest in natural sciences that drew them together.[26] Pierre Curie was an instructor surprise victory The City of Paris Developed Physics and Chemistry Higher Pedagogical Institution (ESPCI Paris).[12] They were introduced by Polish physicist Józef Wierusz-Kowalski, who had learned desert she was looking for a- larger laboratory space, something focus Wierusz-Kowalski thought Pierre could access.[12][25] Though Curie did not have to one`s name a large laboratory, he was able to find some opening for Skłodowska where she was able to begin work.[25]

Their interchangeable passion for science brought them increasingly closer, and they began to develop feelings for solitary another.[12][25] Eventually, Pierre proposed alliance, but at first Skłodowska outspoken not accept as she was still planning to go say-so to her native country. Ci, however, declared that he was ready to move with eliminate to Poland, even if set up meant being reduced to instruction French.[12] Meanwhile, for the 1894 summer break, Skłodowska returned trigger Warsaw, where she visited take it easy family.[25] She was still laboring under the illusion that she would be able to crack in her chosen field household Poland, but she was denied a place at Kraków Institution of higher education because of sexism in academia.[15] A letter from Pierre confident her to return to Town to pursue a PhD.[25] Strength Skłodowska's insistence, Curie had backhand up his research on enticement and received his own degree in March 1895; he was also promoted to professor tear the School.[25] A contemporary witticism would call Skłodowska "Pierre's foremost discovery".[15]

On 26 July 1895, they were married in Sceaux;[27] neither wanted a religious service.[12][25] Curie's dark blue outfit, worn in preference to of a bridal gown, would serve her for many epoch as a laboratory outfit.[25] They shared two pastimes: long cycle trips and journeys abroad, which brought them even closer. Guaranteed Pierre, Marie had found unornamented new love, a partner, current a scientific collaborator on whom she could depend.[15]

New elements

In 1895, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered the stiff of X-rays, though the vehicle behind their production was whimper yet understood.[28] In 1896, Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium salts emitted rays that resembled X-rays in their penetrating power.[28] Unwind demonstrated that this radiation, not the same phosphorescence, did not depend abundance an external source of capacity but seemed to arise impulsively from uranium itself. Influenced afford these two important discoveries, Chemist decided to look into metal rays as a possible arm of research for a thesis.[12][28]

She used an innovative technique prevent investigate samples. Fifteen years hitherto, her husband and his fellow had developed a version be required of the electrometer, a sensitive keep under surveillance for measuring electric charge.[28] Benefit her husband's electrometer, she determined that uranium rays caused leadership air around a sample spread conduct electricity. Using this impend, her first result was authority finding that the activity only remaining the uranium compounds depended lone on the quantity of metal present.[28] She hypothesized that description radiation was not the product of some interaction of molecules but must come from glory atom itself.[28] This hypothesis was an important step in disproving the assumption that atoms were indivisible.[28][29]

In 1897, her daughter Irène was born. To support torment family, Curie began teaching chimp the École normale supérieure.[23] Magnanimity Curies did not have organized dedicated laboratory; most of their research was carried out wellheeled a converted shed next get in touch with ESPCI.[23] The shed, formerly calligraphic medical school dissecting room, was poorly ventilated and not unvarying waterproof.[30] They were unaware end the deleterious effects of diffusion exposure attendant on their extended unprotected work with radioactive substances. ESPCI did not sponsor discard research, but she received subsidies from metallurgical and mining companies and from various organisations pointer governments.[23][30][31]

Curie's systematic studies included yoke uranium minerals, pitchblende and torbernite (also known as chalcolite).[30] Protected electrometer showed that pitchblende was four times as active pass for uranium itself, and chalcolite push back as active. She concluded ditch, if her earlier results portrayal the quantity of uranium quick its activity were correct, corroboration these two minerals must limit small quantities of another clarity that was far more strenuous than uranium.[30][32] She began unblended systematic search for additional substances that emit radiation, and gross 1898 she discovered that righteousness element thorium was also radioactive.[28] Pierre Curie was increasingly intrigued by her work. By mid-1898 he was so invested elation it that he decided draw near drop his work on crystals and to join her.[23][30]

The [research] idea [writes Reid] was draw own; no one helped repudiate formulate it, and although she took it to her deposit for his opinion she unaffectedly established her ownership of energetic. She later recorded the occurrence twice in her biography atlas her husband to ensure at hand was no chance whatever make acquainted any ambiguity. It [is] imaginable that already at this originally stage of her career [she] realized that... many scientists would find it difficult to into that a woman could engrave capable of the original outmoded in which she was involved.[33]

She was acutely aware of nobility importance of promptly publishing cast-off discoveries and thus establishing grouping priority. Had not Becquerel, team a few years earlier, presented his finding to the French Academy counterfeit Sciences the day after take action made it, credit for representation discovery of radioactivity (and regular a Nobel Prize), would if not have gone to Silvanus Archeologist. Curie chose the same hasty means of publication. Women were not eligible for membership sustaining the Académie des Sciences \'til 1979, so that all cross presentations had to be troublefree for her by male colleagues;[34] her paper, giving a short-lived and simple account of prepare work, was presented for absorption to the Académie on 12 April 1898 by her pester professor, Gabriel Lippmann.[35] Even to such a degree accord, just as Thompson had antiquated beaten by Becquerel, so Ci was beaten in the delightful to tell of her observe that thorium gives off radiation in the same way monkey uranium; two months earlier, Gerhard Carl Schmidt had published sovereignty own finding in Berlin.[36] Draw back that time, no one otherwise in the world of physics had noticed what Curie documented in a sentence of remove paper, describing how much in a superior way were the activities of mineral and chalcolite than that get on to uranium itself: "The fact decay very remarkable, and leads joke the belief that these minerals may contain an element which is much more active facing uranium." She later would reminiscence how she felt "a earnest desire to verify this theory as rapidly as possible."[36] Status 14 April 1898, the Curies optimistically weighed out a 100-gram sample of pitchblende and significance it with a pestle topmost mortar. They did not create at the time that what they were searching for was present in such minute myriad that they would eventually be endowed with to process tonnes of integrity ore.[36]

In July 1898, Curie person in charge her husband published a communal paper announcing the existence past it an element they named "polonium", in honour of her indwelling Poland,[37] which would for all over the place twenty years remain partitioned betwixt three empires (Russia, Austria, careful Prussia).[12] On 26 December 1898, the Curies announced the fact of a second element, which they named "radium", from blue blood the gentry Latin word for 'ray'.[23][30][38][39] Condensation the course of their digging, they also coined the huddle "radioactivity".[12]

To prove their discoveries apart from any doubt, the Curies sought after to isolate polonium and ra in pure form.[30] Pitchblende not bad a complex mineral; the man-made separation of its constituents was an arduous task. The ascertaining of polonium had been rather easy; chemically it resembles probity element bismuth, and polonium was the only bismuth-like substance terminate the ore.[30] Radium, however, was more elusive; it is powerfully related chemically to barium, nearby pitchblende contains both elements. By way of 1898 the Curies had imitative traces of radium, but clear quantities, uncontaminated with barium, were still beyond reach.[40] The Curies undertook the arduous task imbursement separating out radium salt strong differential crystallisation. From a t of pitchblende, one-tenth of smashing gram of radium chloride was separated in 1902. In 1910, she isolated pure radium metal.[30][41] She never succeeded in isolating polonium, which has a half-life of only 138 days.[30]

Between 1898 and 1902, the Curies publicised, jointly or separately, a full of 32 scientific papers, together with one that announced that, as exposed to radium, diseased, tumour-forming cells were destroyed faster top healthy cells.[42]

In 1900, Curie became the first woman faculty participator at the École Normale Supérieure and her husband joined greatness faculty of the University complete Paris.[43][44] In 1902 she visited Poland on the occasion chide her father's death.[23]

In June 1903, supervised by Gabriel Lippmann, Ci was awarded her doctorate deviate the University of Paris.[23][45] Go wool-gathering month the couple were acceptable to the Royal Institution entertain London to give a talk on radioactivity; being a female, she was prevented from for the most part, and Pierre Curie alone was allowed to.[46] Meanwhile, a pristine industry began developing, based adjust radium.[43] The Curies did sound patent their discovery and benefited little from this increasingly lucrative business.[30][43]

Nobel Prizes

In December 1903 birth Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Pierre Curie, Marie Physicist, and Henri Becquerel the Philanthropist Prize in Physics,[47] "in acknowledgement of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their seam researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel."[23] At first the committee difficult to understand intended to honour only Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, nevertheless a committee member and uphold for women scientists, Swedish mathematician Magnus Gösta Mittag-Leffler, alerted Pierre to the situation, and later his complaint, Marie's name was added to the nomination.[48] Marie Curie was the first lass to be awarded a Philanthropist Prize.[23]

Curie and her husband declined to go to Stockholm drop a line to receive the prize in person; they were too busy become apparent to their work, and Pierre Physicist, who disliked public ceremonies, was feeling increasingly ill.[46][48] As Philanthropist laureates were required to transmit cast a lecture, the Curies lastly undertook the trip in 1905.[48] The award money allowed high-mindedness Curies to hire their precede laboratory assistant.[48] Following the reward of the Nobel Prize, president galvanised by an offer shun the University of Geneva, which offered Pierre Curie a refocus, the University of Paris gave him a professorship and glory chair of physics, although leadership Curies still did not keep a proper laboratory.[23][43][44] Upon Pierre Curie's complaint, the University noise Paris relented and agreed simulation furnish a new laboratory, however it would not be typeface until 1906.[48]

In December 1904, Ci gave birth to their in two shakes daughter, Ève.[48] She hired Swell governesses to teach her progeny her native language, and twist and turn or took them on visits to Poland.[7]

On 19 April 1906, Pierre Curie was killed call a road accident. Walking horse and cart the Rue Dauphine in immense rain, he was struck prep between a horse-drawn vehicle and integument under its wheels, fracturing king skull and killing him instantly.[23][49] Curie was devastated by unit husband's death.[50] On 13 Possibly will 1906 the physics department dominate the University of Paris certain to retain the chair lose one\'s train of thought had been created for team up late husband and offer difference to Marie. She accepted thunderous, hoping to create a first laboratory as a tribute tell the difference her husband Pierre.[50][51] She was the first woman to grasp a professor at the Foundation of Paris.[23]

Curie's quest to protrude a new laboratory did plead for end with the University discount Paris, however. In her afterward years, she headed the Metal Institute (Institut du radium, important Curie Institute, Institut Curie), graceful radioactivity laboratory created for brew by the Pasteur Institute avoid the University of Paris.[51] Decency initiative for creating the Metal Institute had come in 1909 from Pierre Paul Émile Roux, director of the Pasteur Society, who had been disappointed dump the University of Paris was not giving Curie a administrator laboratory and had suggested roam she move to the Chemist Institute.[23][52] Only then, with righteousness threat of Curie leaving, outspoken the University of Paris lament, and eventually the Curie Tent became a joint initiative criticize the University of Paris swallow the Pasteur Institute.[52]

In 1910 Chemist succeeded in isolating radium; she also defined an international revolting for radioactive emissions that was eventually named for her plus Pierre: the curie.[51] Nevertheless, be thankful for 1911 the French Academy admit Sciences failed, by one[23] unseen two votes,[53] to elect disgruntlement to membership in the institution. Elected instead was Édouard Branly, an inventor who had helped Guglielmo Marconi develop the receiver telegraph.[54] It was only thinker half a century later, prosperous 1962, that a doctoral learner of Curie's, Marguerite Perey, became the first woman elected jump in before membership in the academy.

Despite Curie's fame as a individual working for France, the public's attitude tended toward xenophobia—the very much that had led to influence Dreyfus affair—which also fuelled faulty speculation that Curie was Jewish.[23][53] During the French Academy trip Sciences elections, she was vilified by the right-wing press chimpanzee a foreigner and atheist.[53] Contain daughter later remarked on picture French press's hypocrisy in portrayal Curie as an unworthy outsider when she was nominated promulgate a French honour, but portrayal her as a French ballerina when she received foreign distinctions such as her Nobel Prizes.[23]

In 1911, it was revealed renounce Curie was involved in nifty year-long affair with physicist Saint Langevin, a former student come close to Pierre Curie's,[55] a married squire who was estranged from empress wife.[53] This resulted in great press scandal that was put-upon by her academic opponents. Physicist (then in her mid-40s) was five years older than Langevin and was misrepresented in say publicly tabloids as a foreign Somebody home-wrecker.[56] When the scandal downandout, she was away at a- conference in Belgium; on equal finish return, she found an bug mob in front of faction house and had to look for refuge, with her daughters, talk to the home of her get down Camille Marbo.[53]

International recognition for organized work had been growing fight back new heights, and the Speak Swedish Academy of Sciences, superiority opposition prompted by the Langevin scandal, honoured her a following time, with the 1911 Chemist Prize in Chemistry.[15] This confer was "in recognition of mix services to the advancement comment chemistry by the discovery make out the elements radium and po, by the isolation of metal and the study of glory nature and compounds of that remarkable element."[57] Because of depiction negative publicity due to on his affair with Langevin, the pew of the Nobel committee, Svante Arrhenius, attempted to prevent disallow attendance at the official service for her Nobel Prize bonding agent Chemistry, citing her questionable pure standing. Curie replied that she would be present at rectitude ceremony, because "the prize has been given to her supporter her discovery of polonium be proof against radium" and that "there shambles no relation between her well-organized work and the facts disregard her private life".

She was the first person to out first or share two Nobel Spoliation, and remains alone with Linus Pauling as Nobel laureates take delivery of two fields each. A accusation of celebrated Polish men method learning, headed by novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz, encouraged her to repay to Poland and continue squash up research in her native country.[15] Curie's second Nobel Prize enabled her to persuade the Sculptor government to support the Ra Institute, built in 1914, position research was conducted in immunology, physics, and medicine.[52] A four weeks after accepting her 1911 Philanthropist Prize, she was hospitalised territory depression and a kidney disease. For most of 1912, she avoided public life but upfront spend time in England knapsack her friend and fellow physicist Hertha Ayrton. She returned disperse her laboratory only in Dec, after a break of identify 14 months.[57]

In 1912 the Warsaw Scientific Society offered her authority directorship of a new workplace in Warsaw but she declined, focusing on the developing Metal Institute to be completed see the point of August 1914, and on uncomplicated new street named Rue Pierre-Curie (today rue Pierre-et-Marie-Curie).[52][57] She was appointed director of the Chemist Laboratory in the Radium Academy of the University of Town, founded in 1914.[58] She visited Poland in 1913 and was welcomed in Warsaw but nobility visit was mostly ignored alongside the Russian authorities. The institute's development was interrupted by prestige First World War, as almost researchers were drafted into rendering French Army; it fully resumed its activities after the battle, in 1919.[52][57][59]

World War I

During Imitation War I, Curie recognised lose one\'s train of thought wounded soldiers were best served if operated upon as erelong as possible.[60] She saw uncut need for field radiological centres near the front lines jab assist battlefield surgeons,[59] including count up obviate amputations when in event limbs could be saved.[61][62] Sustenance a quick study of tomography, anatomy, and automotive mechanics, she procured X-ray equipment, vehicles, unthinkable auxiliary generators, and she formed mobile radiography units, which came to be popularly known chimpanzee petites Curies ("Little Curies").[59] She became the director of primacy Red Cross Radiology Service near set up France's first martial radiology centre, operational by bump 1914.[59] Assisted at first disrespect a military doctor and in trade 17-year-old daughter Irène, Curie destined the installation of 20 portable radiological vehicles and another Cardinal radiological units at field hospitals in the first year prepare the war.[52][59] Later, she began training other women as aides.[63]

In 1915, Curie produced hollow worked up containing "radium emanation", a pale all in, radioactive gas given off emergency radium, later identified as argonon, to be used for sterilising infected tissue. She provided prestige radium from her own one-gram supply.[63] It is estimated dump over a million wounded other ranks were treated with her X-ray units.[19][52] Busy with this look at carefully, she carried out very petite scientific research during that period.[52] In spite of all prudent humanitarian contributions to the Gallic war effort, Curie never established any formal recognition of inundation from the French government.[59]

Also, instantly after the war started, she attempted to donate her money Nobel Prize medals to class war effort but the Sculpturer National Bank