- 1867-1934, Polish-French physicist and chemist
- discovered radioactivity as an atomic property (term she coined), demonstrating it originates from within the atom itself
- isolated two new elements: polonium (named for Poland) and radium
- first woman to win a Nobel Prize (Physics, 1903, shared with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel)
- first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences (Chemistry, 1911)
- developed mobile X-ray units (petites Curies) for battlefield medical imaging during World War I
- pioneer of radiation therapy for cancer treatment
- her research opened the door to nuclear physics, atomic energy, and the understanding of subatomic structure