Maria Skłodowska-Curie (b. Warsaw, Poland, 1867 – d. 1934, Paris, France) was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person, and the only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice. She was also the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. She lived and worked in Poland and France, becoming the first female professor at the University of Paris in 1906. In addition to helping to overturn established ideas in physics and chemistry, Curie’s work had a profound effect in the societal sphere. To attain her scientific achievements, she had to overcome barriers, in both her native and her adoptive countries, that were placed in her way because she was a woman. Albert Einstein reportedly remarked that she was probably the only person who could not be corrupted by fame.
