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Birth
Marie Curie was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. Her birth name was Marie Salonea Sklodowski. Marie was the youngest of five children.Both of her parents were educators/teachers (Keller 3). This event is significant because Marie Curie was greatly influenced by her parents and valued the importance of education, which gained her fame later in life. -
The Battle of Weihaiwei
The Battle of WeihaiWei was a battle of the First Sino-Japanese War that took place in January of 1895. It took place in Weihai, China and was between the forces of the Empire of Japan and the Empire of China. The battle was a Japanese victory (Grun 342). -
Marriage
Marie married Pierre Curie on July 26, 1895. The pair met after a colleague introduced Marie to Pierre who was a French physicist.The couple were very intelligent and dedicated scientists. At first the pair worked on their own projects but Pierre eventually helped Marie with her expolation of radioactivity (Rubin 89). This was significant because Pierre was a partner with Marie and aided in her research which lead to them winning Nobel Prizes together. -
Inagauration of William Mckinley
On March 4, 1897 William Mckinley was inaugurated as the 25th President of the US in Washington D.C.It was the first to be recorded on film and the last of the 19th century. Mckinley was a Republican and served until 1901 when he was assassinated (Grun 447). -
The discovery of Radium and Polonium
In July of 1898 the Curies discovered two new radioactive elements: Radium and polonium. Radium is named after the Latin word for ray and polonium is named after Marie's home country, Poland ("Marie Curie-Questions and Answers"). Today radium is now used to help treat certain forms of cancer ('Radium") and polonium is used as a heat source in space probes ( "Facts About Polonium").
The discoveries of radium and polonium were impt. to both science and gaining the Curies money for more research. -
Awarded Nobel Prize
In December of 1903 Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering the elements radium and polonium and her work on radioactivity. She was the first woman to ever win this award. Curie shared the award with her husband, Pierre, and physicist Henri Becquerel ("Marie Curie Questions and Answers"). This was significant because Marie Curie made history for being the 1st woman to win this prize and also gave her and Pierre enough money to continue their research. -
Pierre's Death
Pierre Curie died in an accident in Paris, France, on April 19, 1906. He lost his footing while crossing the street and fell under the wheels of a horse-drawn vehicle, suffering a fatal skull fracture. He was 46 years old (Rubin 97). This is significant because Pierre was a valubale partner for Marie but she went on to take over his job as a professor, making history later on. -
Becomes Professor
On November 5, 1906 Marie Curie took over the job of late husband Pierre as a professor at the University of Paris. She was the first female professor at the school. She also replaced Pierre as the Chair of Physics ("Marie Curie-Questions and Answers"). This was a significant feat because again, similar to winning the Nobel Prize, she was also a precedent for women, being the first female professor at the University of Paris. -
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London Summer Olympics
The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London, England, United Kingdom. These games were originally scheduled to be held in Rome, but were re-located on financial grounds following a disastrous eruption of Mt Vesuvius in 1906. Because Rome lost its hosting rights, the city eventually hosted the 1960 Summer Olympics (Grun 458). -
The Radium Institute
In Paris in 1909 Marie Curie founded the Radium Institute. This institute became a world center for the study of radioactivity. The institute also became an international center of meausuring radium in different objects ("Marie Curie- the Radium Institute"). The founding of the Radium Institute is significant because it is now a world center for meausuring radium and is responsible for 483 works published on the research of radioactivity between 1919-1934 before Curie's death alone. -
China Abolishes Slavery
On March 10,1910, a law formally ending slavery in China came into action. The law, passed in 1906, stipulated that the status of all adult slaves was converted to hired laborer, and that young slaves would be freed at the age of 25. In China today though, there are still illegal cases of forms of slavery(Grun 470). -
US Congress Passes Mann Act
The White-Slave Traffic Act, better known as the Mann Act, is a United States federal law, passed June 25, 1910. It is named after Congressman James Robert Mann of Illinois, and made it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of "any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose". Its primary intent was to address prostitution, "immorality", and human trafficking (Grun 461). -
2nd Nobel Prize
On December 10th of 1911 Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize. This time it was in chemistry. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for the advancement in chemistry of her discoveries and studies of radium and polonium.She is the only woman so far who has recieved 2 Nobel Prizes ("Marie Curie-Questions and Answers"). This event is significant because it gained Curie even more fame and caused her to be the first person and woman to recieve two Nobel Prizes. -
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Works in World War 1
During WW1 Marie Curie helped equip ambulences with x-ray equipment, which she drove to the front lines. During the war the International Red Cross also made her head of its radiological service. By the end of the war she had built 20 mobile units ("Marie Sklodowska Curie"). Marie Curie's contribution of these units meant more lives could be saved and wounds could be treated more effectively. -
20th Amendment is added to the US Constitution
The 20th Amendment to the United States Constitution moved the beginning and ending of the terms of the president and vice president from March 4 to January 20. Also the terms of members of Congress from March 4 to January 3. The Twentieth Amendment was ratified on January 23, 1933 (Grun 502). -
Death
Marie Curie died on July 4, 1934 in Savory, France. She died of aplastic anaemia, a blood disease that often results from exposure to large amounts of radiation. Maries was buried next to Pierre, but in 1995, their remains were moved and interred in the Pantheon in Paris alongside France's greatest citizens. (Rubin 94). This is significant because in Marie's time people did not know how harmful radioactivity was. Her death promoted awareness of the danger of radioactivity.
