Marie Curie

Actress Susan Marie Frontczak portrays Curie in the play "Manya"

What makes a hero? Some people say courage, or smarts. Marie Curie, my hero, was an amazing scientist who discovered radium and polonium. She could fit in both categories. I think that she is an scientist for her discoveries. She did a staggeringly large amount of great things for humanity in her life.

Marie Curie had an interesting childhood. She was born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. She had 3 sisters named Bronya, Hela, and Zosia, and a brother Joseph. Her father, Vladislav Sklodowski, was a teacher. Her mother, Bronislawa Sklodowski, was a musician. At the time, Poland was ruled by Russia. At five, Manya's (Marie's nickname) mother got ill. They couldn't pay the doctor bills, so they moved to a cheaper apartment. It was often crowded and noisy. When she went to school, all the schools were now Russian, and some subjects were outlawed. At home, Manya and her sisters were taught Polish things by her father. About about two years later, her mother and Zosia had died. She had to study hard to get into a secret university. Manya's childhood was rough.

Manya has accomplished many things in her life. She discovered two elements, radium and polonium, earned two degrees in mathematics and physics, and much more! One of her major accomplishments is she found out about and named radioactivity with Pierre, her husband. Another is she helped in WW1. She also helped to build a radium institute. She is also was one of the first women to win a Nobel Prize, in 1903. She also discovered radium and polonium. And finally, she discovered many new and important uses for the radium. She also found radium can be used to cure some types of cancer! Marie helped the community too. She also gave her hard earned money to people who needed it more, collected X-rays for the army, gave lectures, taught classes, and much more. On top of that, Manya gave out her precious radium to others for their own use. Like she said, selling it " would be contrary to the scientific spirit." Marie Curie has done many things in her life to help others.

Even though Madame Curie did many great things, the journey there wasn't easy. She would often study too long and become malnourished, sometimes even faint of hunger. One time, she passed out in her room, which was a freezing cold attic where the water in her pitcher would usually freeze. Manya could barely afford food! Her cousin saw her out cold on the floor, she found out Marie was sleeping four hours every night and eating only radishes and cherries. The rest of the time, Marie was studying. When she did experiments, she did them in a leaky, old shed. Manya was often tired and sick feeling, probably because she worked with radiation, which is dangerous. It can even kill. But Marie Curie didn't know that. Other hardships were her beloved husband, Pierre, dying. Also, people were jealous of her fame and how she just gave it all up. Manya Curie faced many challenges.

Manya did many things of importance to the world. She got a Nobel for physics, for one. Only a few women had gotten that award before Marie Curie. And on top of that, Curie got a chemistry Nobel too! She was also very good in school and became the top in her entire class! She didn't only pass, she was best in school! She also had an institute built in honor of her discovering radium. It was the Intitut du Radium, Pavilion Curie or The Institute of Radium, Curie Pavilion in English. She even had the privilege of teaching there! At the time, most scientists and science teachers were men, so it was a huge honor. She also visited the United States and made speeches for important people. Marie Curie got lots of recognition in her life.

Madam Curie has many important traits in life that helped her to succeed. An important quality she has is determination. Madame Curie kept working through every struggle in her life. An example is her husband Pierre dying. He was run over by a cart in a busy road. Another is she had to work in a leaky shed with peeling plaster walls and a bad roof for her lab. Marie Curie had to work with many hardships like this. A second good quality about her is curiosity. She would always ask questions and try to learn more. In the text it says when she went to America, she went into a walk in closet with an automatic light. She almost missed dinner trying to figure out how it worked! Another example is when Marie Curie found that pitchblende was more radioactive than pure uranium. She kept working to find the radioactivity. Finally, Marie Curie is independent. She liked to do things by herself and didn't like people helping her. Like when she took care of the mobile X-ray units she made. She would turn the crank to start it, put on new tires and check the engine. Also, when she got sick, she didn't like people to take her to their house to help her. As you can see, Madame Curie has many great attributes.

I could learn many things about Marie Curie. One, I could learn to be always open minded. Madame Curie believed that anything was possible, and she became famous for discovering a new element. She also didn't rely on anyone else, and she accomplished great things on her own. She learned many things and was very intelligent. Manya accomplished many things in her life that helped the entire world. She knew that the best way was often the simplest way and worked very hard throughout her life. Marie Curie's lifestyle is one to live by.

I am greatly inspired by Marie Curie. Her hardships and struggles push me to move forward, and her accomplishments prove to me that so much more can be discovered. Marie Curie, finder of radium, is my one and only hero.