Maria Sklodowska

Marie Curie, originally named Maria Sklodowska, was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland. In her family, the five children - Marie Curie being the youngest - were nurtured by their mother and father, renowned teachers who taught at Warsaw universities and at Lublin University. Marie followed in the footsteps of her father, a math and physics professor, by pursuing her interest in physics and chemistry. At a young age, Marie discovered her love for physics and wished to pursue further education in that field at the Sorbonne. At age eleven, misfortune fell upon the family when they lost the mother to tuberculosis and the eldest daughter to typhus. Additionally, Marie and her family suffered the consequences of resistance to Russian oppression. By the time Marie was born, Poland

Warsaw remained under the Russian czar’s dominion, abolishing “Polish nationalism by keeping the people ignorant of their culture and language” (Pasachoff, 1996b). Due to his unrelenting patriotism, Marie’s father was fired by Russian supervisors for his pro-Polish beliefs. For many years, the Sklodowska’s struggled financially, which compelled Marie to work as a governess to finance both her sister’s and her professional education. Despite these tragic events, Marie graduated high school at age fifteen with stellar grades and continued her education at the Sorbonne, achieving her master’s degree in both physics and mathematics. After several research projects, Marie Curie had made an important discovery that was influential to the advancement of science. Upon her search for a laboratory, Marie met Pierre Curie, a fateful encounter crucial to future discoveries. Their relationship blossomed from co-workers to companions and were eventually married on July 1895. Later, Pierre and Marie collaborated on the research for her thesis in order to