About DK Life Stories Marie Curie

Discover the inspiring story of Marie Curie – the scientist who made more than one world-changing discovery, and the first woman to win a Nobel prize – in this fascinating kids’ biography.

Born to poor schoolteachers at a time when women could not attend university in her home country of Poland, Marie Curie sought out an underground university and worked hard to save money for further study in Paris. She made it to France and continued to dedicate herself to science once she had graduated. In search of new radioactive elements, she undertook physically exhausting work with materials that were later found to be incredibly dangerous. Having finally discovered polonium and radium, the Nobel prize that should have been hers was first awarded to her husband – but Marie eventually won the fame she deserved.

This biography, ideal for kids aged 7-11, charts the major events of Marie’s life, from her childhood in Poland, when she discovered her love of science using the lab kit her father brought home from his school, to coining the term “radioactive” and developing mobile radiology units that helped treat countless injured soldiers in the First World War.