Madam Curie's Discovery

Madame Curie, as the scientist is venerably called, was a true pioneer of her time. Growing up amidst political turmoil and sexual discrimination she was able to persevere with austere determination to make breakthrough scientific findings, while also fighting for humanitarian betterment. In a long list of renowned female scientists Madam Curie stands at the top of the list not only for her findings, but also for her efforts to aid those with the worst afflictions; she is long remembered as a pioneer, a leader, a truly gifted scientist, and a humanitarian who died while helping others to live.

Madam Curie was born Maria Sklodowska on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, the city that had once been the capital Poland, but that was at the time of her birth under control of the Russian Czar. Maria was born to educated parents, both of whom were teachers and who were targeted by the Czar for attempting to preserve their Polish culture. In a time of great strife Maria's parents instilled a sense of pride and determination in their children to hold true to their culture and beliefs, and continued to hope that one day Poland would again be free. Due to their resistance to the Czar, Maria's parents were continually demoted from their prestigious teaching affiliations, leaving her family in dire economic straights. Despite the sexual discrimination that kept women out of the University of Warsaw, Maria was determined to get a proper education, knowing that that was the only way out of her family's economic burdens. Unfortunately the only universities that could provide such an education were in Western Europe, and relatively expensive for the time. To overcome this obstacle Maria and her sister Bronya made a pact with each other. Maria would start working as a governess to pay for her sister's medical education, and once he training was complete Bronya would pay for Maria's education.

While working as a governess north of Warsaw, Maria read books of all subjects searching for her calling. Despite the fact that the Russian Czar had outlawed the teaching of laboratory science in Poland, Maria was drawn to chemistry. It was during this time that Maria became enchanted with Chemistry, and became determined to pursue her education in this field. During this time Maria was also secretly studying chemistry in a "floating university" that would teach outlawed subjects in changing locations to avoid suspicion of the Czar. These students would also conduct experiments in "museums" to put their knowledge to test without Russian interference. After working for roughly two years Maria had saved the money required to travel and pay tuition costs at the famous Sorbonne University in Paris. To avoid suspicion on Polish decent Maria changed her name Marie and undertook her studies.

Although Marie was not as well prepared for the coursework as her classmates, her desire and determination to learn separated her from her peers. Due to her outstanding results in Physics Marie was given a scholarship by the Society for the Encouragement of National Industry. The Society paid her to test the magnetic properties of various steels, and provided her with a lab to conduct research. This lab also housed Pierre Curie, who had conducted brilliant research in Magnetism himself. The two began a relationship of love and intellect that would last the rest of their lives. Upon her completion of research into the Magnetism of various steels, Marie sought a topic to complete her doctorate, a height to which no woman had yet reached.

Discovery

In 1895 two mysterious discoveries enthralled the science world, and led Marie to what would become her life's work. First, a German physicist, Wilhelm Roentgen discovered a ray that could travel through solid wood and human flesh; around the same time Henri Becquerel discovered that minerals containing uranium also let off rays, although they were weaker. Although Roentgen's work, which he named X-rays, drew much scientific discussion, Henri's was less attractive, and allowed Marie to pioneer research into his discovery. Through her research Marie made a startling discovery - the strength of the rays emitted did not depend on the substance they were traveling through (such as wood, flesh, or powder) but rather were dependent upon the amount of uranium present. Thus the intensity of radiation (as she called it) depended upon the number of uranium atoms present, a considerable departure from previous scientific thought.

Scientists at this time thought that the normal properties of elements (color, odor, and texture) were the result of the composition of the atoms that formed the elements. Scientists also believed that these atoms were constituted "at the beginning of the universe and could not have been altered. Thus the discovery of the presence of rays being emitted truly puzzled the world. To compound this confusion Marie also discovered that an uncommon element, thorium, also emitted rays similar to those emitted by uranium. While testing