Breaking Down Walls: Firsts for Women
Throughout her life, Marie Curie did many things that nobody thought were possible for a woman to do. One of the things she did was get an impressive higher education. She was accepted into La Sorbonne, a prestigious university in Paris. Women typically were not accepted into colleges. While she was there, she was the first woman to receive a physics degree from Sorbonne, and she finished first in her class. She also received a mathematics degree from Sorbonne and finished second in her class. In 1903 she became the first woman to earn a doctorate degree from La Sorbonne. She was also the first woman in France to defend a doctoral thesis in front of a scientific board. Her thesis was highly regarded as being a very important piece of work.
Sorbonne examiners considered her doctoral thesis to represent “the greatest scientific contribution ever made in a doctoral thesis.” (Lassieur 63)
Having such a highly regarded doctoral thesis is very impressive, especially since she was a girl. It was unlikely for her to get this far, so it shows what happens if you work hard enough at what you want to do with your life.
Another impressive 'first' she accomplished was winning a Nobel Prize in physics along with her husband and Henri Becquerel in November 1903. People did not think it was possible for a woman to take part in such an important discovery, and yet she was still able to be a part of it. Some reporters represented Curie as the perfect example of the modern woman because she was able to have a family and work while still maintaining her "femininity" (Lassieur 65). However, some reporters downplayed her role in the discoveries and did not think that she should have been doing what she was doing, she was still able to be successful (Lassieur 65). She was so successful that in 1911, she went on to win another Nobel Prize in chemistry. This made her the first female to win a Nobel Prize in chemistry by herself and without a man to help her. She did all of the research by herself and got all the credit.Had there been a man present, she likely would have been viewed as an assistant once again.
Years after she died, she still made another important accomplishment. In 1995 she was the first female to be buried in the Pantheon in France (New York Times). The Pantheon is a famous graveyard for scientists. She was still making progress even after she died. It occurred decades after her death, but she was still able to break down one last wall.
Sources for this tab:
-Lassieur 63, 65
-Goldsmith
-New York Times (April 21, 1995)
-Lassieur 63, 65
-Goldsmith
-New York Times (April 21, 1995)