The Career and Discoveries of Madame Curie

Madame Curie
Maria Salomea Sklodowska was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. She is the youngest out of five; Bronislawa, Zosia, Jozef, and Helena. Her parents, Wladyslaw and Bronislawa, were educators who persuaded Maria and her siblings to pursue an education. Her mother was the principal of a local girl school and her father a physics teacher. In 1876, Bronislawa and Zosia got Typhoid fever, which in result caused Zosia death at age 14. In a following death, on May 1878, Maria’s mother dies.

At age ten, Maria began attending the boarding school of J. Sikorska. Two years younger than her pupils, Maria entered the third grade. However, that did not stop Maria’s brilliance; she graduated on June 12, 1883 as top of her class, with a gold medal. After her graduation, Maria sought for a higher education, to attend a University. During this time period though, women were not allowed to enter the University of Warsaw and although Maria’s family did not have money to pay for a tuition aboard, Maria and her sister Bronislawa came up with a plan.

At age 17, Maria left her home as the plan was, and became a governess outside of Warsaw. According to the plan, Maria would save her money for approximately two years, send the money to her sister Bronislawa and for her medical studies in Paris. After those two-three years, Maria would then attend a University for her to pursue a career in chemistry.

In her Governess position, she fell in love with the eldest in the family, a college student, Kazimierz Zorawski. However, the family opposed their love for each other, Kazimierz listened to his family and rejected Maria. Despite the awkwardness within the family, Maria stayed until she fulfilled her commitment until late 1891.

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...he U.S. in 1921 where the President Warren G. Harding gave her one gram of radium collected in the U.S. In the following year, Marie became a member of the International Commission for Intellectual Cooperation of the League of Nations. In 1923, Marie wrote a biography of her husband; and six years later, in 1929 Marie attended her second American tour.

Finally, in 1930, Marie was elected as a member of the International Atomic Weights Committee where she served until she died. Four years later and Marie took her last trip to Poland. On July 4th, 1934, Maria Salomea Sklodowska died at the Sancellemoz Santorum in Haute-Savoie due to aplastic anemia; which is believed to be cause from the long term exposure of radiation. Of course, during the time period in which Marie was living, the risk of exposure to radiation was not known of, and safety measures were not taken.