In simple terms
Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist whose research on radioactivity transformed science’s understanding of the atom, and who became the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields. [2]
Life and work
Born Maria Sklodowska in Warsaw in 1867, she moved to Paris to study physics and mathematics, where she later married fellow scientist Pierre Curie. [1] Working together, the Curies investigated the mysterious rays being emitted by uranium ore, and in 1898 they identified two new chemical elements responsible for much of that activity: polonium, which Marie named after her native Poland, and radium. Marie Curie coined the term “radioactivity” to describe this behavior of unstable atoms releasing energy.
In 1903, Marie and Pierre Curie shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Henri Becquerel for their work on radioactivity. After Pierre’s death in 1906, Marie continued the research alone and, in 1911, won a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for isolating pure radium and studying its properties. [2] During World War I, she developed mobile X-ray units, nicknamed “petites Curies,” and helped train technicians to operate them near the front lines, bringing diagnostic imaging directly to wounded soldiers. [1]
Why it matters
Curie’s research laid groundwork for nuclear physics, radiation therapy for cancer, and the broader study of atomic structure, while her two Nobel Prizes in different sciences remain a singular achievement in the history of science. [2]
Where you’ll see it
- Radiation therapy techniques used in cancer treatment today
- The element curium, named in her honor
- Nuclear physics research building on the study of radioactive decay
- Science education, where she is frequently cited as a pioneering woman in science
Example
Curie’s isolation of pure radium in 1911 allowed its radioactive properties to be measured precisely for the first time, work that directly earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry that year.
Often confused with
Her daughter, Irene Joliot-Curie, was also a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who worked on artificial radioactivity; the two are sometimes conflated, but Marie Curie’s foundational work on radioactivity and element discovery came a generation earlier.
Key facts
- Marie Curie, born in Warsaw in 1867, conducted her research primarily in France, working first with her husband Pierre Curie.1
- She and Pierre Curie discovered the elements polonium and radium, and Marie Curie coined the term radioactivity to describe the phenomenon they were studying.1
- She won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, shared with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911, making her the first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific fields.2
- During World War I, she developed mobile X-ray units, known as petites Curies, to help treat wounded soldiers near the front lines.1
Quick checkWhat specifically made Marie Curie's two Nobel Prizes especially unusual?Show answer
They were in two different scientific fields, Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911, making her the first person in history to win Nobel Prizes in two separate sciences.
Sources
- The Nobel Prize. Marie Curie - Facts. Undated (accessed 1 November 2026)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica. Marie Curie. Undated (accessed 1 November 2026)
Editorially reviewed by Last reviewed November 1, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue