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Birth
On November 7th of 1867 in Warsaw, Poland Maria Salomea Skłodowska was born. Although her birth name was Maria her parents called her Manya. She had a few siblings including the one she was closest to, her sister Bronya. (Keller 3) and (nobelprize.org) -
Graduation from School
In June of 1833 Maria Sklodowska graduated from her school. The last time she was in the gym of her school for graduation she was top of her class, like many of her siblings had been before her. Her father was a teacher and educated her in sciences while she was also getting basic education at public schools. (Keller 8) -
Starting at the "Floating University"
When she was 16 years old she was still seeking further education. Her hunger for knowledge led her to join an illegal school called a "floating university". It was called a floating university because the lessons were always held in a different place. (Keller 9) -
First Automobile
On January 29th of 1886 Karl Benz applied for a patent. This patent was for his "vehicle powered by a gas engine". Later on that year in July the newspapers reported the first public outing of the vehicle. This vehicle was the very first automobile. (daimler.com) -
Starting Chemistry
After three years working as a governess in the countryside she returned to Warsaw. Once there she began to attend lessons at the university once more. In these lessons she started putting the chemistry she had learned from books into practice. It was also around this time her sister Bronya has invited her to Paris to attend college. (Keller 14) -
Arrival in Paris
She arrived in Paris in November of 1891, just in time to start school. She began college that month at the University of Paris. While there she learned about Physics and Mathematical Sciences. (atomicheritage.com) and (nobelprize.org) -
Pierre Curie
In 1894 she met Pierre Curie in Paris. He was a professor in the School of Physics. In the next year they were married and she succeeded him as the Head of the Physics Laboratory where she attended school. (nobelprize.org) and (atomicheritage.com) -
Discovery of Radium
Early on in their research they did not have very good working conditions. They both had to do a lot of teaching in order to make money. In 1898 she and her husband discovered Radium and Polonium together. She was also able to separate radium from its radioactive residues. (atomicheritage.com) and (nobelprize.org) -
Theodore Roosevelt Elected President
Theodore Roosevelt was a republican president who was elected in 1901. He served two terms as president after getting re elected in 1904. He set aside a lot of land for wildlife and plants, nearly 200 million acres of land, while he was president. (History.com) -
The Curies Win the Nobel Prize
In 1903 Marie and Pierre won the Nobel Prize. They won the Nobel Prize in physics for their joint work research of radium and its characteristics. Their research led to the isolation of Polonium, which was named after Marie's home country. (atomicheritage.com) and (nobelprize.org) -
Second Nobel Prize
In 1911 Marie won a second Nobel Prize. This time it was the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. It was awarded to her because she was able to separate radium from its radioactive residues. When seperated it could be researched more carefully, especially it's healing properties. (atomicheritage.com) and (nobelprize.org) -
The Spanish Flu
The Spanish Flu was a pandemic in 1918. The very first cases of the flu were recorded in Kansas. This virus spread with amazing speed across the world. In 18 months one third of the population was infected. Anywhere from 20 million to 100 million people died from the Spanish Flu. (nationalgeographic.com) -
Prohibition
January 29th of 1919 the 18th Amendment was passed. This amendment put a ban of the making and the sale of alcohol. By the time the amendment was put into effect, nearly a year later, 33 of the states had already made laws prohibiting alcohol. October of the same year the Prohibition Act was passed, this act gave guidelines for how the prohibition was to be enforced. (History.com) -
Russo-Polish War
Beginning in 1919 the Russo-Polish war was a military conflict between Russia and Poland over Ukraine. This war was responsible for the creation of the Russo-Poland border. After Poland allied with the Ukrainian nationalist leader and began to take over Ukraine, Russia became very angry. That was the final straw in making the already hostile relationship between them break into war. (britannica.com) -
The Stock Market Crash
October 29th in the year 1929, investors traded nearly 16 million shares on the New York stock exchange in one day. Billions of dollars were lost and America started to spiral downwards into the Great Depression. Among other courses, low wages, struggling agriculture, and increase of debt caused the collapse. (History.com) -
Death
On July 4th of 1934 Maria Salomea Curie passed away. She had made many discoveries in radium, these discoveries were the cause of her death. She died from leukemia induced by radiation. (atomichistory.com)