Summary
Marie Curie’s life was a story of passion, obsession, ambition, and dreams. With her husband, Pierre Curie, she discovered the phenomenon of radioactivity, as well as the elements of polonium and radium. Their discoveries took the world by storm, turning into a nightmare as thousands of dangerous products containing radium flooded the market. However, their legacy of discovery paved the way for modern physics, the study of the atom, and nuclear research. Growing up in Russian-occupied Poland, where women were not allowed access to higher education, Curie saved her money and traveled to Paris to attend the prestigious Sorbonne University. After earning her doctorate in physics, she rose to the ranks of her male peers, becoming the first woman to win the Nobel Prize—twice—and in science, a field few women studied. Years later, her daughter became the second woman to win a Nobel Prize. In Marie Curie, read about a woman whose work paved the way for other women scientists.
Specifications
Full-color and black-and-white photographs. Sidebars. Chronology. Bibliography. Further resources. Notes. Web sites. Index.
About the Author(s)
Rachel A. Koestler-Grack has worked on nonfiction books as an editor and writer since 1999. During her career, she has worked extensively with historical topics, ranging from the Middle Ages to the American colonial era to the years of the civil rights movement. She is the author of more than 20 Chelsea House titles, including Michelle Kwan and Bruce Lee in the Asian Americans of Achievement series.