Career Timeline of Marie Curie: Major Achievements and Milestones

Discover the career path of Marie Curie, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Marie Curie, born Maria Skłodowska in Poland, was a pioneering physicist and chemist renowned for her groundbreaking research on radioactivity. Working primarily in France, she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields (Physics and Chemistry). Curie's work led to the discovery of polonium and radium, and she developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes. Her research was crucial in developing treatments for cancer. She died in 1934 from aplastic anemia likely caused by her long-term exposure to radiation.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Legacy & Impact

1900: First Woman Faculty Member at École Normale Supérieure

In 1900, Marie Curie became the first woman faculty member at the École Normale Supérieure, marking a significant achievement for women in academia. Her husband joined the faculty of the University of Paris in the same year.

1902: Publication on Radium's Effect on Cells

Between 1898 and 1902, the Curies published a total of 32 scientific papers. In 1902, they announced that when exposed to radium, diseased, tumour-forming cells were destroyed faster than healthy cells.

1902: Separation of Radium Chloride

In 1902, the Curies separated one-tenth of a gram of radium chloride from a tonne of pitchblende, marking a significant step in isolating radium.

June 1903: Curie Awarded Doctorate from University of Paris

In June 1903, Marie Curie was awarded her doctorate from the University of Paris, supervised by Gabriel Lippmann.

December 1903: Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded

In December 1903, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, and Henri Becquerel the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on radiation phenomena. Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

1903: Nobel Prize in Physics

In 1903, Marie Curie, along with her husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work on radioactivity. Marie Curie was the first woman to ever win a Nobel Prize.

1905: Curies' Nobel Lecture

In 1905, the Curies traveled to Stockholm to deliver their Nobel lecture. The award money allowed them to hire their first laboratory assistant.

May 1906: Marie Curie Offered Pierre's Professorship

In May 1906, following Pierre Curie's death, the physics department of the University of Paris offered Marie Curie his chair. She accepted, becoming the first woman to hold a professorship at the University of Paris.

1906: University of Paris Professorship

Following the award of the Nobel Prize in 1905, and galvanised by an offer from the University of Geneva, the University of Paris gave Pierre Curie a professorship and the chair of physics in 1906.

1906: First Woman Professor at the University of Paris

In 1906, Marie Curie became the first woman to hold a professorship at the University of Paris, marking a significant milestone in her career and for women in academia.

1906: Death of Pierre Curie

In 1906, Pierre Curie died in a Paris street accident. Following his death, Marie took over his professorship at the University of Paris.

1909: Initiative for Creating the Radium Institute

In 1909, Pierre Paul Émile Roux, director of the Pasteur Institute, initiated the creation of the Radium Institute (now Curie Institute) after being disappointed by the University of Paris's lack of support for Curie's laboratory.

1910: Isolation of Radium and Definition of the Curie

In 1910, Marie Curie succeeded in isolating radium and defined an international standard for radioactive emissions, which was eventually named the curie in honor of her and Pierre Curie.

1910: Isolation of Pure Radium Metal

In 1910, Marie Curie successfully isolated pure radium metal, a major achievement in her research and the study of radioactivity.

1911: Second Nobel Prize

Despite the Langevin scandal, in 1911, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded Marie Curie her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. The chair of the Nobel committee, Svante Arrhenius, attempted to prevent her attendance at the official ceremony due to her affair with Langevin. Curie replied that she would be present at the ceremony, because "the prize has been given to her for her discovery of polonium and radium" and that "there is no relation between her scientific work and the facts of her private life".

1911: Nobel Prize in Chemistry

In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements polonium and radium, solidifying her legacy as a pioneering scientist. She used techniques she invented for isolating radioactive isotopes.

1912: Declined directorship in Warsaw

In 1912, the Warsaw Scientific Society offered Marie Curie the directorship of a new laboratory in Warsaw, but she declined, focusing on the developing Radium Institute.

August 1914: Radium Institute completion

The Radium Institute was to be completed in August 1914.

1914: Director of the Red Cross Radiology Service

During World War I, in 1914, Marie Curie became the director of the Red Cross Radiology Service and set up France's first military radiology center.

1914: Radium Institute built

In 1914, Curie's second Nobel Prize helped her to persuade the French government to support the construction of the Radium Institute where research was conducted in chemistry, physics, and medicine.

1915: Produced hollow needles

In 1915, Marie Curie produced hollow needles containing "radium emanation", later identified as radon, to be used for sterilising infected tissue.

1919: Institute Resumes Activities

In 1919, after being interrupted by World War I, the Radium Institute fully resumed its activities.

1919: Published Radiology in War

In 1919, after the war, Marie Curie summarized her wartime experiences in a book, Radiology in War.

La Radiologie Et La Guerre (French Edition)

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1920: Foundation of the Curie Institute in Paris

In 1920, Marie Curie founded the Curie Institute in Paris, a major medical research center that continues to operate today.

1921: Fundraising tour of the United States

In 1921, Marie Curie toured the United States to raise funds for research on radium. Marie Mattingly Meloney helped publicise her trip.

August 1922: Member of League of Nations Committee

In August 1922, Marie Curie became a member of the League of Nations' newly created International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.

1923: Wrote biography of Pierre Curie

In 1923, Marie Curie wrote a biography of her late husband, titled Pierre Curie.

Pierre Curie: With Autobiographical Notes by Marie Curie

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1925: Participated in Warsaw Radium Institute ceremony

In 1925, Marie Curie visited Poland to participate in a ceremony laying the foundations for Warsaw's Radium Institute.

1929: Second American tour

In 1929, Marie Curie's second American tour succeeded in equipping the Warsaw Radium Institute with radium.

1930: Elected to International Atomic Weights Committee

In 1930, Marie Curie was elected to the International Atomic Weights Committee, on which she served until her death.

1932: Foundation of the Curie Institute in Warsaw

In 1932, Marie Curie founded the Curie Institute in Warsaw, which, like its Paris counterpart, remains a significant medical research center.

1932: Warsaw Radium Institute Opened

In 1932, the Warsaw Radium Institute opened, with Marie Curie's sister Bronisława as its director.

July 1934: Death of Marie Curie

In July 1934, Marie Curie died at the age of 66 at the Sancellemoz sanatorium in Passy, France, due to aplastic anaemia, likely caused by exposure to radiation during her scientific research and radiological work in field hospitals during World War I.