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August 1, 2026Short & citedBlog
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Field Notes • Physicist

Marie Curie

Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist and chemist best known for pioneering research on radioactivity.

Updated August 1, 20261 min readCited sources

Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist and chemist who pioneered research on radioactivity. She discovered polonium and radium, and remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields.

What it is

Marie Curie (born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw, 1867) moved to France for advanced study and became a leading figure in physics and chemistry. Her work on radioactivity — a term she helped coin — led to the discovery of two new elements and laid the foundation for modern nuclear science.

Why it matters

Curie’s research transformed physics and chemistry, and her discoveries enabled later advances in radiology and cancer treatment. In Canada, her legacy supports university research and medical applications of radiation, from diagnostic imaging to therapy.

Key details

She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for radiation research and won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on radium. Curie died in 1934 after an illness linked to long-term radiation exposure. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two.

In short

  • Discovered polonium and radium with Pierre Curie
  • First woman to win a Nobel Prize
  • Only person to win Nobel Prizes in two sciences
  • Her work underpins modern radiation medicine
Canadian angle

Marie Curie’s work helped establish radioactivity research and radiation medicine, fields that are important to Canadian science, university research, and cancer treatment.

Quick questions

Who is Marie Curie?
Marie Curie was a Polish-born French physicist and chemist known for pioneering research on radioactivity and for being the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
What did Marie Curie discover?
She discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium with Pierre Curie, and her research helped define the scientific study of radioactivity.
How many Nobel Prizes did Marie Curie win?
She won two Nobel Prizes: Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911.

Sources

  1. Nobel Prize — https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1903/marie-curie/biographical/
    Supports: Birth, discoveries, 1903 Physics Nobel, 1911 Chemistry Nobel, death date and place
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Curie
    Supports: Biography, discoveries, fame, Nobel Prizes, nationality, death
  3. Science History Institute — https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/marie-sklodowska-curie/
    Supports: Two Nobel Prizes, radioactivity research, discovery of polonium and radium
  4. UNESCO — https://www.unesco.org/en/virtual-science-museum/women-science/marie-sklodowska-curie
    Supports: Discovery of polonium and radium, first person to win two Nobel Prizes
  5. Biography.com — https://www.biography.com/scientists/marie-curie
    Supports: Death cause commonly attributed to aplastic anemia from radiation exposure
  6. Marie Curie — https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/about-us/our-history/marie-curie-the-scientist
    Supports: Death details, aplastic pernicious anaemia, radiation exposure, Nobel Prizes
  7. Nobel Prize — https://www.nobelprize.org/stories/women-who-changed-science/marie-curie/
    Supports: Only individual to receive Nobel Prize in two different science categories, legacy in medicine and radioactivity