Mini Bio: Madame Curie - Part 1 (English)

Author: Eve Curie

Marie Curie was born in Warsaw as Maria Salomea Skłodowska, on November 7, 1867. She was the youngest of five children. Her mother was a school principal, and her father was a physics professor. They planted the seed of scientific ambition in their youngest daughter early on.

At just four years old, little Maria stood transfixed in front of her father’s glass cabinet, which contained what he called his “physics apparatus.” Inside was shelf upon shelf of instruments, mineral specimens, and even a gold-leaf electroscope. She didn’t understand what they were for, but her fascination with their potential stayed with her for life.

Maria’s extraordinary intellect drew attention early on. That same year, she noticed her older sister Bronya struggling to read a book. Little Maria took the book out of Bronya’s hand and read the first sentence aloud effortlessly. The family was dumbfounded – and Maria started to cry, thinking she’d done something wrong!

Though Maria was unquestionably very gifted, she lacked the opportunity to make the most of her talents. Poland had been occupied by Russia for over 50 years, and the Russians were attempting to suppress Polish identity and culture. All street signs were in Russian, and it was forbidden to speak Polish in schools. Even the word “Poland” was no longer printed on maps.

Maria’s family felt the sting of Russian occupation. They’d been Polish aristocrats, but the Russians had seized most of their property and land. By the time Maria was born, the Skłodowskas lived in Warsaw with meager salaries under precarious conditions.

Unsurprisingly, both of Maria’s parents were passionate patriots with a deep hatred of czarist Russia, a hatred they passed on to their children.

Maria’s father believed he could keep Polish nationalism alive through his work; he secretly lectured on Polish achievements to instill patriotism in his students. He was not trusted by the authorities, and eventually, it cost him his job. The family was forced to move to a smaller apartment and to start tutoring on the side to make ends meet. It got so cramped at home that Maria had to sleep on the couch in the living room – not exactly ideal conditions for a knowledge-hungry little genius. But in spite of – or maybe even because of  – the circumstances, Maria dived obsessively into her schoolwork.