So just to satisfy my curiosity, I decided to asked a few friends, family members, a few homeschoolers, and a few kids we know that attend public school. I wanted a wide and random group. Not to embarrass anyone or put them on the spot but to simply find out who recalls facts on this very important person in history. I admit I did not recall a lot of information about this amazing pioneer of science but I did know that she had something to do with radiation and x-rays.
So the results of my questioning went as follows: 2 people thought she was a psychic fortune teller, 3 people had never heard of her, 2 of the kids from public school said they thought they had heard of her but had no real idea who she was, and only 1 person actually knew who she was and some of her accomplishments. I am beginning to find that the longer we homeschool, the less I feel like I really learned when I was in school. I know I was there but I guess somehow I did not retain the information for long-term use. Sorry for the digression and back to the point, Ms. Marie Curie.
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| Image from Wikipedia |
Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1867. Her given name was Maria Salomea Skłodowska. She grew up in a poor family with 4 siblings. Her oldest sister died from typhus, and her mother died from tuberculosis when she was 10. If this was not enough to deal with, during this time period, Poland was under strict Russian rule and Polish people were not allowed to speak Polish, teach Polish, or learn any Polish history. Anyone caught doing so would be breaking the law. Maria's parents were very proud of their Polish history and taught their children even though they knew they were breaking the law.
Maria's older sister, Bronya, went to France to go to medical school. When Bronya completed her studies, Maria went to the Sorbonne University in France so that she could go to school to become a scientist. While at the Sorbonne, Maria began to go by the name Marie. That is where she met Pierre Curie, an instructor of physics and chemistry. They were married in 1895. They had 2 children together, Irene and Eve. Unfortunately, Pierre died in an accident in a street in Paris in 1906. He fell under a heavy horse drawn cart and one of the wheels ran over his head. He died instantly.
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| Picture from google image |
In 1898, after exhaustive work, the Curies discovered the element polonium, which was named after Poland. They also discovered radium. Radium gets its name from a word made up by Marie Curie, radioactivity.
Marie Curie was a friend to many famous scientist like Henri Becquerel, Wilhelm Rontgen, and Albert Einstein.
Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win 2 Nobel Prizes. A link to Nobel Museum.
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| Picture from google image |
This is just a brief summary of the life of Marie Curie. As you can see, she was a very important person in the field of science. She was a very strong and dedicated woman, and it is a good thing for us that she was!
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