37 moments

1. Born in Warsaw

   1867-11-07 · 16 Freta Street, New Town, Warsaw, Poland

   

   Maria Salomea Skłodowska, later known as Marie Curie, was born in Russian-ruled Warsaw. The source establishes Warsaw; the coordinates identify the documented birthplace at 16 Freta Street.

2. Returns to Warsaw

   1889-01-01 · Warsaw, Poland

   

   After working as a governess outside Warsaw, Skłodowska returned to the capital, where she resumed tutoring and prepared for university study abroad. The source supports year-level precision and the settlement, but not a specific Warsaw address.

3. Studies at the Sorbonne

   1891-01-01 · Sorbonne, Latin Quarter, Paris, France

   

   After arriving in Paris, she enrolled at the Sorbonne and adopted the French form of her name, Marie. The evidence supports the autumn term but not a precise enrollment day.

4. Sets out for Paris

   1891-11-01 · Paris, France

   

   Skłodowska left Warsaw for Paris to undertake the university education unavailable to women in Russian-ruled Poland. Her own recollection specifies November 1891; no day is supplied.

5. Cycles through France on honeymoon

   1895-01-01 · France

   

   The newly married Curies toured France by bicycle, reflecting the outdoor travel that remained one of their shared recreations. The source gives no itinerary; coordinates are a representative point for France.

6. Marries Pierre Curie in Sceaux

   1895-07-26 · Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France

   

   Marie Skłodowska and Pierre Curie entered a civil marriage in Sceaux, beginning their formal partnership in family life and scientific research. Settlement coordinates are used because the quoted evidence does not identify the civil-ceremony room.

7. Works in the Paris laboratory

   1896-01-01 · ESPCI Paris, Paris, France

   

   Curie continued her investigations into the magnetic properties of steel in the laboratory facilities available to the couple in Paris. The institutional context identifies the Municipal School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry, now ESPCI Paris.

8. Moves research into the radium shed

   1898-01-01 · ESPCI Paris, Paris, France

   

   During the period in which the Curies announced polonium and radium, their demanding separation work moved into an abandoned shed at the Municipal School. The source places the laboratory move within the 1898 discovery narrative but does not state its exact day.

9. Appears at the Royal Institution

   1903-06-01 · Royal Institution, London, United Kingdom

   

   Marie accompanied Pierre Curie to London for the Royal Institution's Friday Evening Discourse on radium and sat with leading members of the scientific audience.

10. Resumes teaching at Sèvres

    1904-12-01 · Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, France

    

    Following the birth of Ève, Curie resumed research and her teaching duties at the women's teacher-training institution at Sèvres. The quotation establishes resumption soon after December 1904 rather than an exact teaching date.

11. Travels to Stockholm for Nobel obligations

    1905-06-01 · Stockholm, Sweden

    Marie and Pierre finally traveled to Stockholm to fulfill the lecture obligation associated with their 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics. Settlement coordinates are used because the evidence does not specify the exact Stockholm venue.

12. Moves her household to Sceaux

    1906-01-01 · Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine, France

    

    After Pierre Curie's death, Marie moved with her daughters and father-in-law to Sceaux, near the Curie family burial place. The move occurred during the summer following Pierre's death in April 1906.

13. Attends the first Solvay Conference

    1911-01-01 · Brussels, Belgium

    

    Curie joined leading physicists in Brussels for the first Solvay Conference, where discussions addressed radioactivity, quantum theory, and the foundations of modern physics. The first Solvay Conference met from 30 October to 3 November 1911, but the quoted source supports year-level precision.

14. Recuperates in England

    1912-07-01 · England, United Kingdom

    

    Seeking privacy while recovering from illness and public scandal, Curie traveled to England and stayed near the coast with physicist Hertha Ayrton. The source identifies England and a rented house near the seashore but not the settlement; coordinates represent England.

15. Receives Birmingham honorary degree

    1913-09-01 · University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Curie returned to England under her married name to receive an honorary degree from the University of Birmingham.

16. Carries France's radium to Bordeaux

    1914-01-01 · Bordeaux, France

    

    As German forces approached Paris, Curie personally transported France's research supply of radium to safety in Bordeaux, then returned to the capital. The exact Bordeaux bank and travel day are not identified in the quoted evidence.

17. Makes first wartime journey to the front

    1914-01-01 · Western Front, northern France

    

    Curie and her daughter Irène undertook their first journey to the battle front with a military physician to operate mobile radiography equipment. The source does not name the first front-line destination; coordinates are representative of the northern French front.

18. Trains radiology assistants in Paris

    1916-01-01 · Radium Institute, Paris, France

    Curie began formal instruction for women radiological assistants at the Radium Institute, expanding wartime staffing for mobile and stationary X-ray units.

19. Returns to her completed Radium Institute laboratory

    1919-01-01 · Radium Institute, Paris, France

    

    After years dominated by wartime medical work, Curie's laboratory at the Paris Radium Institute became ready for her postwar research program.

20. Attends Paris Opera benefit

    1921-01-01 · Palais Garnier, Paris, France

    

    Shortly before her first American tour, Curie attended a Paris Opera benefit supporting the Radium Institute. The benefit took place on 28 April 1921, but the quoted evidence supports year-level precision.

21. Inspects the Canonsburg radium plant

    1921-05-01 · Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Curie inspected the Standard Chemical Company's production facilities, which prepared the gram of radium given to her during the tour. Coordinates represent Canonsburg because the historical plant's exact point is not established by the quoted evidence.

22. Visits Pittsburgh

    1921-05-01 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

    

    Curie visited Pittsburgh during her American tour to meet scientists and industrialists involved in producing the radium donated for her Paris laboratory. The available evidence supports month-level precision.

23. Boards Olympic at Cherbourg

    1921-05-04 · Port of Cherbourg, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France

    

    Curie embarked on RMS Olympic at Cherbourg with her daughters and Marie Meloney, beginning her first journey to the United States. The quoted evidence is in Polish.

24. Arrives in New York Harbor

    1921-05-11 · New York Harbor, New York City, United States

    

    Olympic reached New York, where Curie was welcomed by scientific, diplomatic, student, scouting, and Polish-American delegations. The quoted evidence is in Polish; coordinates represent the Upper New York Bay arrival area.

25. Lectures at Vassar College

    1921-05-14 · Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York, United States

    Curie visited Vassar and delivered “The Discovery of Radium,” her first public address in the United States and her only lecture at an American college.

26. Honored at the American Museum of Natural History

    1921-05-17 · American Museum of Natural History, New York City, United States

    

    New York scientific organizations honored Curie at the museum, which elected her its first female honorary member.

27. Welcomed at Carnegie Hall

    1921-05-18 · Carnegie Hall, New York City, United States

    Thousands of university women gathered at Carnegie Hall to honor Curie and celebrate women's contributions to education, science, and public life.

28. Receives radium at the White House

    1921-05-20 · White House, Washington, D.C., United States

    

    President Warren G. Harding formally presented Curie with the gram of radium purchased through donations organized by American women.

29. Visits the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

    1921-05-23 · College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

    Curie visited the College of Physicians, where she presented an electrometer associated with the Curies' early radium experiments.

30. Receives Columbia honorary doctorate

    1921-06-01 · Columbia University, New York City, United States

    Columbia University awarded Curie an honorary Doctor of Science during her American tour. The quoted museum catalogue title is in French.

31. Receives University of Chicago honorary degree

    1921-06-01 · University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

    During the wider stage of her American tour, Curie received an honorary degree from the University of Chicago. The source associates the degree with the 1921 tour but does not supply the exact June date.

32. Sees Niagara Falls

    1921-06-01 · Niagara Falls, New York, United States

    

    Curie and her daughters visited Niagara Falls as part of the American journey, one of the natural landmarks she had specifically wished to see. The source supports the 1921 trip but does not provide an exact day.

33. Visits the Grand Canyon

    1921-06-01 · Grand Canyon, Arizona, United States

    

    Curie traveled by train to the Grand Canyon during the western portion of her first United States tour. Coordinates represent the South Rim; the source does not identify the exact viewpoint or day.

34. Visits Yale University

    1921-06-21 · Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States

    Near the end of her American tour, Curie appeared at Yale, where she received an honorary degree. The quoted museum catalogue title is in French.

35. Lays foundations for Warsaw Radium Institute

    1925-01-01 · Maria Skłodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Warsaw, Poland

    Curie returned to Poland to participate in the foundation ceremony for the Warsaw Radium Institute, a major project intended to advance cancer research and treatment. The source supplies year-level precision.

36. Appears with President Hoover on second U.S. tour

    1929-10-30 · National Academy of Sciences Building, Washington, D.C., United States

    During her second American fundraising journey, Curie appeared with President Herbert Hoover at the National Academy of Sciences. Funds from this tour supported radium acquisition for the Warsaw institute.

37. Dies at Sancellemoz sanatorium

    1934-07-04 · Sancellemoz Sanatorium, Passy, Haute-Savoie, France

    

    Curie died at the Sancellemoz sanatorium in Haute-Savoie from aplastic anaemia associated with prolonged radiation exposure. Coordinates identify the Sancellemoz site in the Plateau d’Assy area of Passy.