On This Day

Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium

Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist.

Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie "for their joint researches on the radioactivity phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel". She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for] the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element". She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different scientific fields. Marie and Pierre were first married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes.

Historical Significance

Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist.

Key People

Marie Curie

Polish-French physicist and chemist

Polish-French physicist and chemist

Events Before

  1. Invasion of Benin City by British Expeditionary Force; the city is burned and looted, ending the Nigerian Kingdom of Ben

    Invasion of Benin City by British Expeditionary Force; the city is burned and looted, ending the Nigerian Kingdom of Benin formed in the 11th century

  2. British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons KOs American champion 'Gentleman' Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the World Heavyweig

    British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons KOs American champion 'Gentleman' Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the World Heavyweight title in Carson City, Nevada

  3. 1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the world's oldest annual marathon inspired

    1st Boston Marathon (B.A.A. Road Race), won by John J. McDermott in 2:55:10; the world's oldest annual marathon inspired by success of the first marathon at the 1896 Summer Olympics

  4. Salomon August Andrée and crew leave Spitsbergen in northern Norway by balloon, heading for the North Pole

    Salomon August Andrée and crew leave Spitsbergen in northern Norway by balloon, heading for the North Pole

  5. Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope [kinetographic camera], a device that produces moving pictures

    The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device, designed for films to be viewed by one person at a time through a peephole viewer window.

Events After

  1. The government of Cuba is handed over to the US from Spanish rule; American occupation continues until 1902

    The Military Government of the Philippine Islands (Spanish: Gobierno militar de los Estados Unidos en las Islas Filipinas; Tagalog: Pamahalaang Militar ng Estados Unidos sa Kapuluang Pilipinas) was a...

  2. Rubber heel for boots or shoes is patented by American Humphrey O'Sullivan

    Rubber heel for boots or shoes is patented by American Humphrey O'Sullivan

  3. Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is patented by Felix Hoffmann at the German company Bayer

    Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), an organic compound that does not occur in nature, was first synthesised in 1899.

  4. W. G. Grace's last day of Test cricket at age 50 years and 320 days

    W. G. Grace's last day of Test cricket at age 50 years and 320 days

  5. American businessman James Cash Penney (24) weds Bertha Alva Hess (29ish), until her death in 1910

    American businessman James Cash Penney (24) weds Bertha Alva Hess (29ish), until her death in 1910

More from the 1890s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 21, 1898?
Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist. She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie "for their joint researches on the radioactivity phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel". She won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for] the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element".
Why is Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium significant?
Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie, better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist.
Who was involved in Scientists Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium?
Key figures include Marie Curie (Polish-French physicist and chemist).

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