THE PAPERS OF MARIE CURIE ARE STILL RADIOACTIVE TO THE DAY

Marie Curie is perhaps the most famous female scientist and perhaps one of the most important women's names. For his work, he received the Nobel Prize in physics (1903) and chemistry (1911). The Polish-born genius made France her home, where she and her husband Pierre experimented with radioactive materials such as uranium. This, along with the discovery of polonium and radium, cemented his place in the history of science and medicine, but Curie died in 1934 of radiation-induced aplastic anaemia.

This radiation was so powerful that his products, including his writings, are still radioactive today. They will remain like this for 1,500 years. Curie deals with dangerous elements that emit electricity. His laboratory was in his French home, and as knowledge of the subject increased, protection seemed non-existent. Even after Curie died from radiation-related sickness, her house and the items in it were picking up radiation from objects throughout the house. The Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Faculty of Sciences of Paris and the Curie Foundation both used the building until the 1970s, and it was not decontaminated and demolished until 1991. Curie's papers were sent to the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.