Who Was Marie Curie? book cover
  • Science
  • Women’s History

Who Was Marie Curie?

A brilliant young girl who loved math and physics
The discoverer of radium
The first woman to win a Nobel Prize


Born in Warsaw, Poland, on November 7, 1867, Marie Curie was forbidden to attend the male-only University of Warsaw, so she enrolled at the Sorbonne in Paris to study physics and mathematics. There she met a professor named Pierre Curie, and the two soon married, forming one of the most famous scientific partnerships in history. Together they discovered two elements and won a Nobel Prize in 1903. (Later Marie won another Nobel award for chemistry in 1911.) She died in Savoy, France, on July 4, 1934, a victim of many years of exposure to toxic radiation.

Play the Who Was Adventure game!

Download the Who Was series app with over 5,500 questions and 100 levels to play on your phone.

Download on the AppStore

Activity Sheets

Download these activity sheets to add to the lesson and spark classroom discussions.

View All