November 7 marks the 157th anniversary of the birth of one of the most famous female scientists, Marie Sklodowska-Curie, the discoverer of radioactivity.
Skłodowska-Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and the only woman to win the award in two different fields of science – physics and chemistry.
However, the scientist paid for her fame with her life.
The Price of Fame of Marie Sklodowska-Curie
Long-term work with radioactive substances cost the scientist her health and life.
Skłodowska-Curie died at the age of 66 from aplastic anemia caused by long-term exposure to radium and polonium.
The scientist's body was so radioactive that she had to be buried in a lead-lined coffin.
The scientist's eldest daughter, Irene Joliot-Curie, also became a victim of science. She died of leukemia at the age of 58.
