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Hello,todayweareherewithMarieCurie!Todaywewillbeasking15
questionsthatareaskedaboutthefamouschemist/physicist.

BarbaraWalters
Whatisyoureducationalbackground?

MarieCurieIfinishedhighschoolat15,withthehighesthonours.Iworked
asaprivatetutorforchildrenforPolandbeforeImovedtoFrance.Iwent
toFranceatage24tostudymathematicsandphysicsatSorbonne.My
goalwastogetateachersdoplomaandreturntoPoland.

BarbaraWalters
WhydidntyoureturntoPoland?

MarieCurieIstayedinFranceafterImetPierre
Curie,inspring1894.Pierrewastheheadofalaboratoryatthe
SchoolofIndustrialPhysicsandChemistry.Later,bothheandI
marriedandthenlaterwehadtwodaughters.Irenebornin1897and
Evebornin1904.

BarbaraWalters
Whatwasthe
1903and1911NobelPrizein
Physics/Chemistryawardedfor?

MarieCurie
In1903Henri
Becquerelwasawardedhalfofthe
prizeforhisdiscoveryof
spontaneousradioactivity.PierreandIwereawardedhalf
theprizefortheirresearchonradiationphenomenadiscoveredbyBecquerel.In1911Iwas
awardedthenobelprizeforchemistryformydiscoversandstudiesoftheelements
radiumandpolonium.
BarbaraWalters
WhatdidyouMarieandyourHusbanddiscover?
MarieCurie
Istudiedtheradiationofallcompoundscontainingtheknownradioactive
elements,includinguraniumandthorium,whichIlater
discoveredwasalsoradioactive.Shealsofoundoutthat:
youcanexactlymeasurethestrengthoftheradiationfrom
uranium
theintensityoftheradiationisproportionaltotheamountof
uraniumorthoriuminthecompoundnomatterwhatcompound
itis
theabilitytoemitradiationdoesnotdependonthe
arrangementoftheatomsinamoleculeitmustbelinkedtothe
interioroftheatomitselfarevolutionarydiscovery

BarbaraWalters
Mariedidyouinventanything?

MarieCurie
Ihaveinventedxray
whenFrancefoundthemselvesat
war.IfoundthebestthingIcoulddo
tohelpwastoprovideXray
machinesforallthewounded
soldiersthatwerebroughtto
hospitals.Therewere20carsthat
hadxraysinto200hospital
rooms.Thishelpedmanyofmenwho
foughtduringthattime.

BarbaraWalters
Whatisyour
familybackground?

MarieCurie
Ihavefourborthers
andsisters.Bothofmyparents
wereteachers.Myfatherewasa
patriostwhoseviewsan
independentPolandoftenmadeit
difficultforhimtokeephis
job.WhenIwas11yearsold,my
oldestsisterdiedoftyphusandher
motheroftuberculosis.

BarbaraWalters
Wouldyouhavestillcarriedoutyourresearchifyou
hadknownatthetimethatitwouldcauseyourdeath?

MarieCurieInmyopinionIwouldvebeenmorecarefulduringmy
research.Iwouldnotputtheradioactiveparticlesintomymouthand
havetheradioactiveparticalestouchedwithoutusinggloves.SoI
wouldhavetokenmoresafteyprecautions.

BarbaraWalters
Didyoufeelanypressureswhen
workingbasedupongender?

MarieCurie
Ifeltthattheeducationduringmytime
wasunfair,intheCollegestheyonlyacceptedmen
intotheschools.TheCollegethatIgotintowas
UniversityofParisinFrance.ThisUniversitywasonly
formen,notforwomen.WhenIwasattheUniversity
I
earnedmyhigherdegreesandconductedmy
subsequentscientificwork..ButIthinkthatinthepast
itwaswrongthatthemengottogoUniversitieswhile
thewomenstayedathome.Ididfeelpresuredtimeto
timebecauseIwastheonlywomanatthe
University.AtfirsttheythoughtIwasjustanormalgirl,buttoacertainpointeveryonewanted
metohelpthemwiththeirresearches.

BarbaraWalters
Isthereanything(mineralandsuch)named
afteryou?

MarieCurie
Thereisrareuraniumcontainingmineralcalled
sklodowskite..Ithasdelicateyellowcrystalsgrowingfromthe
rock.Thisisnamedaftermymaidenname,Sklodowska.

BarbaraWalters
Wereyouaprofessor,apartofagroup
afteryoufinishedyoufinishedUniversity?

MarieCurie
Iwasin
multiple
programsafterbutItutoredwhilegoingto
University.IwasamemberoftheConseildu
PhysiqueSolvayandwasintheCommitteeof
IntellectualCooperationoftheLeagueof
Nations.DuringthetimeIwasinUniversityI
wasthefirstwomantobecomeaprofessorat
theUniversityofParis.

BarbaraWalters
Isittruethatifyouhada
shortageofmoney,thatyouwouldstarve
yourselfuntilyouwouldfaint?

MarieCurie
I
n1891,
ImovedtoParisand

enrolledin
Sorbonne
(theUniversityofParis)
topursuemystudiesofphysics,chemistry
andmathematics.Istudiedduringtheday
andgavetuitionsintheevening.Withlittle
moneyIonlysurvivedonbutteredbreadand
teaandoccasionallyIfaintedfromhung
er.

BarbaraWalters
AreyouanAgnostic?

MarieCurie
Iamtheyoungestoffivechildrenbornto
wellknownteachers
Bronislawa
and
WladyslawSklodowski
.
WhilemyfatherWladyslawwasanatheist,mymother
Bronislawawasadevoutcatholic.WhenIwasnineyearsold,
myoldestsiblingdiedoftyphus.TwoyearslaterIlostmy
mothertotuberculosis.Theseincidentsmademegiveup
CatholicismandIbecameanagnostic,apersonwhobelieves
thattheexistenceofGodisunknowable.

BarbaraWaltersHowdidyoumeetPierreduringUniversity?

MarieCurie
In mid 1890s I began my scientific
career and was looking for larger laboratory
space. Professor Jozef Wierusz-Kowalski
introduced myself to Pierre Curie as he thought
that Pierre had such a space. Though he did not
have a large laboratory, Pierre was able to find
some space for me to begin her work. Our mutual
interest in science drew myself and Pierre closer
and a romance ensued.

Barbara Walters-
Marie were you he only person to win Nobel Prizes in multiple
sciences?

MarieCurie
On 19 April 1906, Pierre was killed in Paris after he accidentally stepped

in front of a horse-drawn wagon. Although I was devastated, I took over his

teaching post at the
Sorbonne, becoming the
institutions first female
professor. In 1910, I
succeeded in isolating radium
and I also defined an
international standard for
radioactive emissions that
was eventually named after
myself and Pierre: the
curie
.A
year later, I was awarded a
second Nobel Prize, this time
for Chemistry
in recognition
of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements
radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and
compounds of this remarkable element.

Barbara Walters- Is it true that the Nobel Prize Committee didnt want the award to
be given to Marie as she was a woman?

MarieCurie
In December 1903, I became the first

women to be awarded the Nobel Prize, when along

with my husband and Henri Becquerel, I was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics
in recognition
of the extraordinary services they have rendered by
their joint researches on the radiation phenomena
discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel.
Initially
the Committee didnt want to recognize the
contribution of I,Marie Curie but my husband was

informed of this by a committee member, who was also an advocate of women

scientists. Upon a complaint by Pierre, his wifes name was added to the
nomination. The award money allowed the Curies to hire their first lab assistant.