Maria Sklodowska was born in Poland on the 7th November 1867.

As a child, Maria was a very good student. But she couldn’t go to university; girls weren’t allowed.

At 24, she left to study in Paris…

… and graduated in physics and mathematics from the Sorbonne University.

Then she met Pierre Curie, also a physicist. Wowed by this talented woman, he asked her to marry him.

Together, the couple studied radioactivity. A word they invented to describe the radiation from uranium, a mineral extracted from the ground. 

Marie discovered two highly radioactive chemical elements: radium and polonium.

For this discovery and her work on radioactivity, she received two Nobel Prizes: one in physics, the other in chemistry. 

On the death of Pierre, Marie took over his post. She was the first woman to teach at the Sorbonne!

Thanks to the discovery of radioactivity, great progress was made in the fields of energy and medicine. 

And during the First World War, « the little curies », portable X-ray labs, saved thousands of soldiers.

Marie Curie fell ill due to excessive exposure to radiation and died at the age of 66.

She was an example for her two daughters, who excelled in their studies, and remains a model for all girls who dream of doing science!