Aleksandra Bojović
MARIE CURIE
Publishing House PČELICA Kolubarska 4, Čačak, Serbia office@pcelica.rs www.pcelica.rs
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he was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize. She had an ingenious mind and was persistent and dedicated to her scientific work. Her name is Marie Curie, and the following story will allow us to take a closer look at her unusual world of science.
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Marie Curie
An Ingenious Girl Мarie Sklodowska was born in 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. At
the time nobody could predict the influence that little girl would have on the future development of physics1, chemistry2, medicine, warfare, and, in short, the history of the world. Born into a family of professors, Marie was from an early age surrounded with books and lived in an environment conducive to intellectual3 development. Her grandfather Jozef Sklodowski was a famous Polish pedagogue4, and her father Wladislaw a professor of mathematics and physics, as well as the principal of two secondary schools in Warsaw. ¹ Physics is the natural science that aims to explain the characteristics, structure and motion of matter in space and time. For example, some of the questions physics studies include: the motion of bodies, light, electrical currents, behaviour of tiny particles unseen by the human eye. ² Chemistry is the natural science that studies the structure and properties of substances. The key question chemistry studies refers to the constitution of living and nonliving things. ³ Intellectual refers to the intellect, which is another name for the human mind. 4 A pedagogue is someone who deals with the practice of education.
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Family Tragedies Marie spent her early childhood years carefree in the idyllic
and intellectual family circle. Her family was a true example of civil society in Poland. There were five children in her family: her brother Jozef and sisters Zofia, Bronislawa and Helena.
The family started having problems when Marie’s father lost his job for being politically unsuitable1. At approximately the same time Marie’s mother contracted tuberculosis2. However, that wasn’t the end of their problems. In 1876, Marie’s oldest sister Zofia died of typhus3 and two years later Marie’s mother passed away as well. An unsuitable person is someone who does not fit the political circumstances. Tuberculosis is a contagious disease caused by bacteria. The most common form is the tuberculosis of the lungs, but it can also affect kidneys, bones, etc. 3 Typhus is a common name for numerous infectious diseases with similar characteristics: elevated body temperature and stomach pain. 1 2
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Despite the great family tragedies, Marie managed to concentrate on her studies as if, from the very beginning, she had a big plan for her future. She first finished Miss. Sikorska’s private school, and then also a state secondary school, where she received the golden star as the best student in her class. Thoughts on Life Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. Marie Curie
After completing secondary school she spent some time teaching workers and farmers at the illegal1 university, called the Flying University. 1
Illegal is something which is not allowed by law.
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A Pact between Sisters At the time when Marie was a young woman, women in Poland weren’t allowed to go to university. The situation was the same in most other European countries. It wasn’t until the 1870s that French universities made it possible for women to attend classes and acquire a university diploma.
Aware of the possibility of continuing their studies in France, Marie and her older sister Bronislawa made a pact: they would help each other graduate from university. Since she was older, Bronislawa was to go to Pairs first, while Marie was to work and send her money. Once Bronislawa got her diploma, she would invite Marie to live with her so that she too could go to university. 10
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Aleksandra Bojović
MARIE CURIE
Publishing House PČELICA Kolubarska 4, Čačak, Serbia office@pcelica.rs www.pcelica.rs