Marie Curie, born Maria Skłodowska on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, was a pioneering scientist known for her groundbreaking work in physics and chemistry. She was the youngest of five children in a family of teachers and displayed remarkable intelligence from an early age. Due to restrictions on women attending universities in Poland, she pursued her education secretly before moving to Paris in 1891, where she studied at the Sorbonne and earned degrees in physics and mathematics [5][6].

Curie's most notable achievements include the discovery of the radioactive elements polonium and radium, which she made in collaboration with her husband, Pierre Curie. Together, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903, making Marie the first woman ever to receive a Nobel Prize and the first person to receive it twice, as she won her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her work on radium [2][4][6].

Despite facing personal tragedies, including the accidental death of Pierre in 1906, Curie continued her scientific research, contributing significantly to the understanding of radioactivity and its medical applications. Her work laid the foundation for advancements in cancer treatment and earned her recognition as a leading figure in science [2][4][6]. Marie Curie passed away on July 4, 1934, from aplastic anemia, likely a result of her prolonged exposure to radiation during her research [4][5].

Who was Marie Curie?

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