Marie Curie

This outstanding French scientist, selfless and of Polish origin (born in Warsaw), was fortunate to spend her childhood in a cultured family that loved literature and was eager for knowledge. After completing her studies at the Sorbonne, her research led to the discovery of radioactivity, thorium and radon. She married Pierre Curie, with whom she worked intensively and together they discovered polonium and radium, and both were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. After her husband's death, she founded the Radium Institute, which during World War I contributed effectively to the use of X-rays to help the wounded. In 1911 she was honoured again with the Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, thus becoming the only person in history to have received this award twice.