Ask any grade school student to name a famous woman scientist and the name that's sure to pop up is Marie Curie. Marie Sklodowska Curie was born on this date in Warsaw, Poland, in 1867. Curie was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. She shared the first (for physics in 1903) with her husband Pierre and A.H. Becquerel for their work on radioactivity. She was awarded the second (for chemistry in 1911) for, among other things, isolating metallic radium. Curie's work with radium led to X-ray and isotope techniques for both the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. But, perhaps one of her most important contributions was helping to open the doors of science to other young women.

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