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An unexpected offer Marie’s first lecture

Although Marie sank into the depths of depression Over the course of the summer, Marie buried herself in
after Pierre’s tragic death and didn’t recover from this her work and continued Pierre’s unfinished research on
emotional blow for many years, she buried herself in radiation and gravity, and radiation’s effect on nearby
her work and caring for her daughters. substances. Rather inopportunely, the Curies’ friend,
Lord Kelvin , chose the summer of 1906 to publicly
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On 13 May 1906, Marie received an unexpected offer
from the Faculty of Sciences at the Sorbonne. Faced declare that radium was not an element but was a
with the dilemma of filling Pierre’s vacant chair and compound of lead and five helium atoms—a theory that
laboratory, and finding someone who was capable of threatened the entire science of radioactivity—just as
teaching his courses, the logical choice was Marie; she was preparing to teach Pierre’s course. Marie rose
however, no woman had ever taught or held a faculty to Kelvin’s challenge and added the goal of isolating
position at the prestigious university in its 756-year radium (disproving Kelvin’s theory and solidifying her
history . In Pierre’s memory—and in recognition of discovery in the process) to her long list of projects.
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Marie’s impressive credentials, the university asked On 5 November 1906, Marie gave her first lecture to a
her to assume Pierre’s chair as professor of physics standing-room-only crowd. Because this was such a
and chairman of the physical chemistry department. ground-breaking event, hundreds of people gathered
When she accepted their offer, Marie became the first hours before her lecture. In addition to the students
woman professor at the Sorbonne. Although she was scheduled for Pierre’s class and Marie’s advanced
grief-stricken, she poured her energy into continuing Physics class from Sèvres (whom had been granted
their work, first becoming head of his laboratory at the permission to attend her lectures because she could no
Sorbonne and its first woman lecturer and professor. longer teach their course), reporters, photographers,
She was appointed to Pierre’s professorship in 1906 celebrities, colleagues, scholars, curious Parisians, and
and became titular professor in 1908. society ladies mobbed the lecture hall. Most attendees
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In her journal—obviously recognizing the bitter irony (most likely, the non-students) were hoping for a bit of
of this achievement—Marie wrote, “I have been named drama, a tribute to Pierre, or a mention of the historic
to your chair … there have been some imbeciles to nature of the events; however, true to form, Marie—
congratulate me on it.” dressed in her typical simple black dress—picked up
where Pierre had left off in his last lecture, and she
Life without Pierre spoke about physics and developments in the science
over the past decade.
In the summer of 1906, Marie moved with her daughters
and father-in-law to Sceaux. She had much work to do Proving that radium is an element
to prepare to teach Pierre’s course, but first she needed
to grieve and to ensure that her daughters’ education Marie continued her research on radioactivity and
would continue uninterrupted. Marie turned over her radioactive elements, acquiring an ever-growing team
position at the Sèvres school for women teachers-in- of young scientists from around the world who were
training to her friend and colleague, Paul Langevin so eager to work in her laboratory. She caught the
she could focus on her research and her new position attention of industrial magnate, Andrew Carnegie,
at the Sorbonne. who gifted Marie with a $50,000 endowment (a small
fortune in 1907) to fund what became known as “Curie
Marie tutored Irène, who showed remarkable aptitude scholarships” for her team of trainees.
for science and mathematics. She took steps to ensure
that Ève, who showed remarkable aptitude for language After Kelvin’s untimely challenge in the summer of
and the musical arts, received the training she needed 1906, Marie and her team of young lab assistants led
to foster her talents. The grieving mother even made by André-Louis Debierne set out to prove beyond any
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time to establish and run a cooperative school with doubt that radium was, indeed, an element. It took
several other parents who had professional scientific Marie and her team until 1910 to isolate radium in its
careers and disapproved of the French school system. metallic state. Despite her achievements, in 1910,
Each family agreed to teach a class every week in the Marie was denied election to the French Academy of
area of their specialty, so between 1906 and 1908, Sciences because she was labeled a “foreigner” even
these children had the privilege of learning math, though she had spent her entire adult life in France and
science, history, literature, and the arts from luminaries was a French citizen.
in their fields. 6