Radium Discovered by Pierre and Marie Shelly 125 Years Ago

On 21st December 1898, Scientists Pierre Curie and Marie Currie left a mark on the world of physics and chemistry with their groundbreaking discovery of the element radium. Their discovery in the field of radioactivity not only reshaped scientific understanding but also laid the foundation for significant progress in the field of medicine.  

Marie Curie, born in Poland as Maria Sklodowska was married to scientist Pierre Curie in 1895. The couple were pioneers of science in the 19th century. They worked together to discover two new elements from a mineral called pitchblende. The first element was named Polonium, after the native country of Marie Curie. In December 1898, they discovered the second new element, radium. Radium is a vital element used in nuclear panels, aircraft switches and cancer treatment. 

The Curies, along with their colleague named Henry Becquerel, were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903. It was Becqueral who paved the way for their groundbreaking research with his discovery of spontaneous radioactivity in 1896. Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and was soon awarded a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. To date, she is the only woman to have won two Nobel Prizes. 

The Curies continued their research for more scientific breakthroughs till their untimely deaths. The legacy of the Curies was carried on by their daughter Irene Joliot-Curie, who went on to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with her husband in 1935.