居里夫人不为人熟知的故事.docx

居里夫人不为人熟知的故事.docx

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居里夫人不为人熟知的故事

MarieCurieMixedScienceandSex,And9OtherSurprisingFactsAboutFamousChemist

11/07/201308:

26amET|UpdatedNov07,2013

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MacrinaCooper-WhiteAssociateScienceEditor,TheHuffingtonPost

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Christie’s/WikimediaCommons

HappyBirthday,MadameCurie!

MarieCuriewasbornthisdayin1867.Youmightknowherasapioneeringchemistandphysicist—thefirstwomaninEuropetoreceiveaPh.D.inphysics.ShewasalsothefirstwomantowinaNobelPrizeforherresearchinradioactivity,andthefirstpersonevertowintwoNobels.ButhaveyouheardaboutwhatshedidtohelpduringWorldWarI?

Doyouknowaboutthesalaciousgossipshestirredupwithhersexlife?

WhowastherealMarieCurie,andwhatwasshelike?

Herearetenfactsthatmightsurpriseyou:

FACT#1.Shewasawhizkid.Marie,bornMaria“Manya”SalomeaSkłodowska,graduatedfromhighschoolatage15.Shewasfirstinherclass.

MarieCurieatage16.

FACT#2.Shewasarebel.Marialetnothingstandinthewayofhereducation.Afterhighschool,inthe1880s,sheattendedWarsaw’s“FloatingUniversity,”anillegal,undergroundnightschoolrunbyahandfulofyoungPoles.ClassesmetinchanginglocationstoavoiddiscoverybytheCzaristauthorities.OnceMariahadthefunds,sheheadedtoFrancetostudyattheSorbonne,sincewomencouldnotattenduniversityinPoland.ThisiswhenshechangedhernametoitsFrenchversion,Marie.Shelivedwithhersisterandbrother-in-law,Dr.KazimierzDluski,whonotedMarie’sindependentspiritinabrusquelettertoherfather:

Ms.Marieworksverydiligently.ShespendsnearlyalldayattheSorbonne,weusuallyonlyseeherintheevening.Sheisaveryindependentperson,thereforethoughyounamedmeherofficialguardian,shenotonlyshowsmelittlerespect,butalsorefusestolisten.Shecaresaboutmyauthorityasmuchasshewouldcareaboutatornshoe.

FACT#3.Scienceraninthefamily.Hergrandfatherwasaphysicsandchemistryteacherandherfathertaughtphysicsandmath.Marie’sdaughterIrèneJoliot-Curiecontinuedherwork,winningaNobelPrizeforChemistryalongwithherhusband,FrédéricJoliot-Curie,fortheirdiscoveryofartificialradioactivity.Andtoday,Irène’schildrenarebothesteemedscientists—HélèneLangevin-JoliotisanuclearphysicistandPierreJoliot-Curieabiologist.

FACT#4.Shemarriedherlabpartner.Lookingforaplacetodoherownresearchin1894,MariewasintroducedtochemistPierreCurie,labdirectoroftheMunicipalSchoolofIndustrialPhysicsandChemistryinParis.Pierreclearedaspaceforherinthelab,andthetwohititoff.AccordingtoMarie,“Ourworkdrewuscloserandcloser,untilwewerebothconvincedthatneitherofuscouldfindabetterlifecompanion.”

InalovelettertoMarie,Pierrewrote:

Itwould,nevertheless,beabeautifulthinginwhichIhardlydarebelieve,topassthroughlifetogetherhypnotizedinourdreams:

yourdreamforyourcountry;ourdreamforhumanity;ourdreamforscience.

Thetwoweremarriedinthesummerof1895.Marieworeadarkblueoutfitthatshecontinuedtowearinherlabforyearsafterward.

PierreandMarieCurieinthelaboratory.

FACT#5.ShepitchedinduringWorldWarI.In1914,MarieputtogetherafleetofvehiclescarryingportableX-raymachines,called“PetitesCuries.”Thesemachineshelpeddoctorsimagebrokenbones,shrapnelandbulletsinpatientsonthefrontlines.

MarieCurieina“PetiteCurie,”amobileX-rayvehicle.

FACT#6.ShevacationedwithEinstein.In1950,whenaskedwhichphysicistsheadmiredthemost,EinsteinpickedHendrikLorentz,andMarieCurie.MarieandEinsteinmetin1909andremainedcolleaguesandfriendsfornearly25years.TheyattendedmanyscientificconferencestogetherandeventooktheirfamilieshikingtogetherintheSwissAlps.

MarieCuriewithAlbertEinstein.

FACT#7.Shefoundasilverlininginwidowhood.In1906,Pierrewaskilledinatragicstreetaccident.Althoughdeeplysaddened,Mariemovedforwardwithherwork,takingoverPierre’spostinthephysicsdepartmenttobecomethefirstfemaleprofessorattheSorbonne.In1911,shewastheonlywomanattheworld’sfirstinternationalmeetingofphysicistandchemists,theSolvayConferenceinBelgium.

PhotographofparticipantsofthefirstSolvayConference,in1911,Brussels,Belgium.MarieCurieisseatednexttoHenriPoincaré.StandingbehindthemtothefarrightareAlbertEinsteinandPaulLangevin.OthernotablescientistsincludedinthephotographareMaxPlanck,HendrikLorentzandErnestRutherford.

FACT#8.Shewasahomewrecker.In1910,fouryearsafterPierredied,shebeganaromanticrelationshipwithPaulLangevin,oneofPierre’sformerstudents.Langevinwasmarriedwithfourchildren,sotheloversrentedasecretflatinParisfortheirtrysts.Eventually,Langevin’swifereportedthepairtothepressafterallegedlydiscoveringpassionatelettersexchangedbythelovers.OnlyafewdaysbeforeMariewassettoreceivehersecondNobel,membersoftheprizecommitteeaskedhernottocomeacceptherawardinStockholminperson.

Shedisregardedthewarning,statingsimply:

Theprizehasbeenawardedforthediscoveryofradiumandpolonium.Ibelievethatthereisnoconnectionbetweenmyscientificworkandthefactsofprivatelife.Icannotaccept...thattheappreciationofthevalueofscientificworkshouldbeinfluencedbylibelandslanderconcerningprivatelife.

Still,therelationshipbetweenMarieandLangevinended—butinatwistoffate,twogenerationslater,Langevin’sgrandsonandCurie’sgranddaughtergothitched.

PaulLangevin（1872-1946）.

FACT#9.America’spresidentgavehera“hot”gift.In1921,MarieCurietookherfirsttriptotheUnitedStates,touringthecountryfromNewYorkCitytoChicagotoWashington,D.C.OnbehalfofmillionsofAmericanwomenwhochippedin,PresidentHardingpresentedMariewithagramofradiumworthmorethan$100,000.“Wegreetyouasforemostamongscientistsintheageofscience,asleaderamongwomeninthegenerationwhichseeswomancometardilyintoherown,”Hardingsaid.

FACT#10.Shewasamartyrforscience—butmaybenotinthewayyouwouldexpect.OnJuly4,1934,shediedofaplasticanemia,arareblooddisease.Foryears,manyassumedherdeathwascausedbyyearsofexposuretoradiationfromworkingwithradium.Butin1995,aradiologyexperttestedherremainsandfoundthatradiationlevelswerelow—leadingscientiststospeculatethatherearlydeathmayhavebeencausedbyherworkwithX-raysduringWorldWarI.

MarieandPierre’scryptinthePantheon,adistinguishedmausoleuminParis.Mariewasthefirstwomantobeburiedthereonherownmerit.

AlsoonHuffPost:

WomenNobelPrizeLaureatesintheSciences

WomenNobelPrizeLaureatesintheSciences

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MarieCurie,néeSklodowska—Physics1903,Chemistry1911

MarieCurie,néeSklodowska（1867-1934）becamethefirstwomantowinaNobelPrizewhenshewasawardedthe1903NobelPrizeinPhysicsalongwithherhusbandPierreCurieandAntoineHenriBecquerel“fortheirdiscoveriesconcerningnuclearshellstructure.”CuriebecamethefirstwomantowinaNobelPrizeinChemistry,thefirstwomantowinanunsharedNobelPrizeinthesciencesandthefirstwomantowintwoNobelPrizes—anachievementthatnowomanhasyettoduplicate—whenshewasawardedthe1911NobelPrizeforChemistry“inrecognitionofherservicestotheadvancementofchemistrybythediscoveryoftheelementsofradiumandpolonium,bytheisolationofradiumandthestudyofthenatureandcompoundsofthisremarkableelement.”

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