Maria Curie (1867~1934)
Winner of Nobel Prizes for Physics in 1903 and for Chemistry in 1911

Maria Curie was a truly remarkable figure in the history of science. She was the first woman scientist to win a Nobel Prize for Physics, and the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes. Maria Curie performed pioneering studies with radium and polonium and contributed profoundly to the understanding of radioactivity. Her early researches, together with her husband Pierre Curie were often performed under difficult conditions, and they both had to undertake much teaching to earn a livelihood. It was her love for science that led to her success. She once said: "A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales."