The Voice of the Forgotten – Marie Curie, the Woman of Many Firsts

As humanity has advanced from the past to the present, science has progressed — and with it, the place of women and men in both society and science has evolved as well. Even today, the roles of women and men in science and society differ across regions of the world.

In this blog series, we will focus on women scientists who have contributed to science throughout history — exploring not only their life stories and scientific achievements, but also the social norms, gender roles, and obstacles they faced in their eras. In doing so, we aim to understand not just their individual successes, but also the social and cultural dynamics behind them.

Marie Skłodowska Curie: The Woman Who Changed Science

In this first article, we’d like to highlight Marie Skłodowska Curie, the Polish-French scientist who made extraordinary contributions to science and became the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes.

Born on November 7, 1867, as Maria Salomea Skłodowska, she came from a family that deeply valued education. However, due to gender inequality in her homeland, women were not allowed to attend universities. The only way for women to study higher education was to go abroad. Her family supported her decision, and Maria and her sister worked hard to save money for their studies. If her family had not allowed her to pursue education, her journey in science might have ended before it even began.

While studying at university, she earned degrees in mathematics and physics, and met Pierre Curie, who was the head of the laboratory at the School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry. Pierre had discovered piezoelectricity, which refers to the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge when mechanical stress is applied. A year after meeting, they married — and Maria Skłodowska became Marie Curie.

After obtaining her teaching diploma, Marie began working on what we now call radioactivity. About a year after starting her research, she and Pierre announced the discovery of two new radioactive elements — polonium and radium.

In 1904, Marie completed her doctorate, becoming the first woman in France to earn a PhD in science, and in the same year, she became the first woman ever to receive a Nobel Prize. At first, the Nobel committee planned to award the prize only to Pierre, claiming that awarding a woman was “unprecedented.” But Pierre protested and fought for Marie’s rightful recognition — and succeeded.

Pierre Curie was both a supportive husband and a devoted collaborator. Yet tragedy struck two years later, in 1906, when he was killed in a street accident involving a horse-drawn carriage. Left widowed with two daughters, Marie took over his teaching position at the Sorbonne University, becoming the first female professor in its history.

Despite her achievements, she was denied membership in the Academy of Sciences by a single vote — simply because she was a woman. Later, when she developed a relationship with Pierre’s former friend Paul Langevin, the media slandered her with scandalous rumors. The public outrage grew so intense that when she received her second Nobel Prize, the news was overshadowed by the gossip.

The Radium Institute and Medical Breakthroughs

In 1914, Marie Curie became the first director of the Radium Institute (now the Curie Institute) at the University of Paris. There, she led groundbreaking research on the effects of radium on biological tissues and explored the medical applications of radioactive materials, laying the foundation for early radiotherapy techniques used to treat cancer.

Her experiments demonstrated that radium could be used not only as a physical element but also as a therapeutic agent in oncology. These studies, supported by clinical collaborations, analyzed how cancerous tissues responded to radiation — work that would revolutionize modern medicine.

During World War I, Curie led the development of mobile X-ray units, known as “Little Curies,” which were used at the front lines to locate fractures, foreign objects, and internal injuries in wounded soldiers. She personally helped deliver these machines to field hospitals and trained many young women — including her daughter Irène Curie — in X-ray technology, radiation safety, and anatomy.

A Legacy Beyond Science

Marie Curie is not only a scientist for us — she is a symbol of defiance in a world that excluded women from scientific spaces for centuries. By entering laboratories, winning awards, and making discoveries in a male-dominated academic world, she proved to the entire world that science knows no gender.

Yet her dedication came at a price. Having worked for years unprotected against high levels of radiation — the dangers of which were then unknown — Marie Curie ultimately gave her life for science. Even today, her personal belongings remain so radioactive that they are stored in lead-lined containers.

Marie Curie’s life reminds us of one simple but powerful truth:

“Women think, discover, create, and change the world.”

Written by: Gülderen Akengin