Salomea Maria Sklodowska was born November 7, 1867, in
Warsaw, Poland. She is the fifth child of a family who already has three
daughters. His father, Wladyslaw and his mother Bronislawa are both teachers in
Warsaw. In 1868, Wladyslaw was appointed professor and sub- inspector at the
gym (the name given to the schools at that time) of the Nowolpiki street. The
family moved to a housing allowance. But the Russian occupation is increasingly
overwhelming: harassment, police checks, Polish prohibited. In September 1873,
the Russian director of the gymnasium, deprives Wladyslaw, his position as
Deputy Director, the housing function and reduces its processing teacher. The
financial embarrassment moves into the home and to survive Wladyslaw Slodowski
accept up to ten residents home. One of them reached typhus infects Sofia’s
sister, Maria and her mother. Both of them will die from the disease. To escape
the despair Maria clings to work, family and his oppressed country.
Maria going to the gym and therefore receives 12 June 1883
the gold medal. She was sixteen. His father then sends province spent a year in
the country, with parents who are home in exchange for some vague lessons for
their children. A year of relaxation Marya never forgets. Maria must return to
Warsaw, where his father wants. She gives lessons in arithmetic, geometry, French.
She also attended “the University Flying”: These are courses in anatomy,
natural history, sociology secretly given by a Polish group of intellectuals.
A sister Maria, Bronia dream of studying medicine, but it
should go abroad in Poland because women are still not admitted to the
university. Moreover Bronia has nothing to pay for his studies. That's when Maria
proposes to place as governess in a wealthy family, and send his salary Bronia.
When it will be a doctor, it will help turn Maria to finance his studies.
Marya and became a teacher and remained for five years. At
the end of 1890 Bronia, married to a Polish student, Dluski Casimir wrote to
her younger sister to offer him hospitality at her home in Paris. But he must
find the money for the trip, and the passport. Marya saves ruble ruble and
September 1891 to 24 years the Polish girl finally arrives in Paris. Upon his
arrival in late September 1891 with the money saved in Poland, she enrolled at
the Sorbonne and French-fried his name: it is now called Marie Sklodowska.
In the academic year following courses Marie prestigious teachers:
Lippmann in physics, mathematics Paul Appall, She works hard to perfect in French,
mathematics and physics, But there is too much noise in Dlusky . Both doctors,
he clients receive home during the day and are often disturbed at night. Besides
the apartment is a gathering place for the Polish capital. Mary then moved to a
maid near the Sorbonne.
In July 1893, Mary received the first degree in physics. She
then obtained a scholarship from the Polish government, which will allow him to
take a degree in Mathematics and start at the same time, in the laboratory of
Professor Lippmann, research on the properties of some steels, but it must find
a place for store minerals, measurement devices. In spring 1894, the physicist
Jozef Kowalski, Staying in Paris, he has pierre curie, already famous physicist
to thirty five years.
He may get the local she needs because he is a professor in
the School of Physics and Chemistry in Paris. They agreed immediately, even
worship of science, even passionate love of nature, even family solidarity. In
July 1894 Mary was brilliantly received the second degree in mathematics. She
then returned to her native country where she is thinking about becoming a
teacher Pierre wrote on August 10, 1894, asking him to return to Paris. They
were married July 25, 1895 in the city of Sceaux.
Wedding gift, Pierre and Marie Curie receive two bicycles. A
conveyance to adopt immediately, For their honeymoon, they also visit the Ile
de France cycling. After the holidays, Pierre teaches at the School of Chemistry,
Lhomond Street while Mary continues his scientific research on the magnetic
properties of steel in the laboratory of her husband. Meanwhile, she prepares
the evening the aggregation of secondary education where she came first in July
1896 contest.
12 September 1897 saw the birth of their first child, Irene.
But motherhood does not stop Mary: She wants to do a PhD! After the discovery
of X-rays by Roentgen, then uranium rays by Becquerel the scientific world is abuzz.
In October 1897, Marie Curie, aged thirty years, chosen as thesis studying the
properties of uranium rays.
it systematically examines a large number of chemical
compounds and minerals, and discovers an unknown radioactive element. Assisted
by Pierre Marie then endeavor to discover the properties of this element. She
discovered polonium in July 1898 and radium in December of the same year.
While they seek the radium chloride , scientific discovery
is accelerating worldwide : identification of alpha emission , beta, gamma ,
Germany , discovered radon and Canada , Rutherford , assisted by the brilliant
young Soddy shows that radioactivity is a natural transmutation. June 25, 1903,
Marie defended her thesis titled “Research on radioactive substances “in
November the Davy Medal he was awarded by the Royal Society of London on December
10, the Curies get together with Henri Becquerel the Nobel Prize in Physics. However,
their health problems prevent them from going to Stockholm to receive the prize.
April 19, 1906, the beginning of a rainy afternoon, Pierre curie died crushed
by a van on horseback. Marie left alone.
On May 1, 1906, Marie Curie was appointed lecturer at the
Sorbonne in Physics Chair previously occupied by her husband.
She became the first woman in France to access in higher
education, to a professorship. At that time Lord Kelvin, a friend of Peter, doubts,
in an article in “Times" that radium is a new element. Feeling targeted by
these attacks Marie Curie reconvened to isolate, not only as pure radium
chloride in 1902, but the radium itself. This was done in 1910. She won the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 and in 1914 she created the Institute of
radium.
1 August 1914, France was invaded by the Germans. Marie
immediately understand the need to use scientific progress , especially X-rays,
to treat the wounded , but she thinks it is better to consider them on the
front rather than the back , to back in hospital ...
The team so a car with an X- ray , a doctor , a driver -
mechanic and hand on forehead armed with Irene, aged seventeen years as an
assistant . Mary is then officially appointed director of radiology department
of the Red Cross. Other radiological cars come into service. Teams of nurses
and radiologists are expanding. Thousands of injured have been rescued. Found peace,
Marie wrote a book on “Radioactivity and war” is showing the extent that can be
taken in certain circumstances, unexpected applications of discoveries,
initially purely scientific.
In May 1920, Marie Curie gave an interview to a famous
American journalist Mary Mattingly Meloney. Marie then explains his lack of
credit facilities staff. She knows that in America there are about fifty grams
of radium when France does not possess one. The journalist decides to help
Marie Curie. She wants to convince wealthy American women, to enable the
scientific gain radium she needs. It will launch a huge campaign Press Favor the
famous French scholar. But it wills Marie agrees to go to the United States. In
early May 1921 she moved with her two daughters, Irene and Eve. Arriving in New
York is triumphant. This trip is also a financial success because it has earned
Mary not only money but also valuable minerals, materials, many scientific equipment.
The researcher has become an international symbol, invests
in a scientific mission radiation and she understands that she should no longer
be alone in his laboratory. Now she made many trips, participating in conventions.
She followed with interest the work of its employees, including those of Dr. Regard
who runs a prestigious center of radiotherapy and branchy therapy for the
treatment of tumors.
But Mary knows and she laments that unlike what happens in
the Radium Institute (created en1914) of radioactive substances are used
carelessly by ignorant physicians and manufacturers of drugs or cosmetics. She cannot
do anything because taking no patent for his discoveries; it has given them
once and for all the world ... which uses dangerously. On January 15, 1934
Irene Curie and her husband Frederic Joliot, worthy successors to their mother
discovered artificial radioactivity. Sometime later (4 July 1934) Marie Curie
died of leukemia after .
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