Special, Interesting Me!

As I said I would do in my introduction to this blog, I am now going to tell you some things that make me special and some interesting facts that a lot of people don't know about me.

The first fact about me is that by the time I finished my last year in high school, which was when I was only fourteen, I could speak five different languages. These languages were English, Polish, Russian, French, and German. I learned these five languages from school and from the places where I lived.

The next thing that makes me special is that when I was in college, I studied a lot!! Every night I would go to the public library and study until it closed, which was at ten o'clock at night; then I would go to my dirty and cramped apartment and study some more until two A.M. That meant I studied each night, for at least five or six hours! This much studying, the condition of my apartment, and the fact that the only two things I would eat to save money were bread and water, caused some health problems for me. Not only was I terribly skinny, but I also fainted a couple of times. Because of my health I lived with my sister and her husband for a little while so I could get some REAL food to eat. Then I returned to my apartment.

The next fact for you is not about me, but about the time in which I lived and discovered radium. My guess is that you will think this is amazing. During the time of my discovery, one ounce of radium was worth three million dollars. If I sold the radium for lots of money, like the amount that it was worth, I would have been a millionare. But being the kind person that I am, I gave the radium away to people instead of charging them for it.

Those are a few of the many facts that make me the special person that I am.

My Characteristics

Here are five characteristics about me that range from when I was a little girl to now, a full adult.

People consider me to be very bright. I was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only woman to win two! Another reason people think of me as very bright is because I discovered radium and polonium.

Generous is another word that people use to describe me. After I discovered radium, with the help of my husband, I could have charged people large amounts of money for its use, but I didn't. I am just that kind of person, generous.

Another characteristic that describes me is hard-working. I think this is a very important trait for me because I studied almost all night when I was in college. I also spent my whole life studying radium. Luckily, the work paid off and I received many different awards later in my life.

Helpful would be one of those other words that people know me as being. During the war, my daughter and I taught people how to take X-rays. Once a lot of people were taught this, soldiers got medical help much faster. Another way I was helpful was when I taught kids about science and the things that I discovered at the Radium and Science Institute after Pierre died. That was very helpful to not only the school, but to the kids. One last thing that makes me a helpful person is that I donated money to Nobel funds.

The last and final word that is a characteristic that represents me according to my peers, is courageous. This is because I stayed extremely strong when I was sick, and also when I stood up to the people in France that thought I was having an affair with a man, which was false!!

Those are just some characteristics for me and the reasons why.

Meet Me

Hi, and welcome to my first blog. My name is Marie Curie and I am a famous scientist. You might not know this, but this isn't really my personality. I am not really a blog person unlike some people. I usually just sit in my laboratory and study science. I especially study the things I discovered. Doing a blog is not really my thing, but I will take on the challenge.

In my blog you will learn things that may or may not be interesting to you. Such things will include my childhood, interesting facts, how I effected people and the world, characteristics that describe me, and my obstacles or risks. All I ask for during my process of making this blog is that you respect it, hopefully enjoy it, and please keep reading.

My Effects on the World and other People

Even though I hate bragging about them to people, I have done many things that helped not only people, but the world. You may be surprised at this, or have no idea what I am talking about but, my husband Pierre and I founded radium and polonium. Radium is what I am most known for, but I did discover polonium, too.

Another thing that I did to help people, was that I taught students about science and radium at the Radium Institute, Normale Superiere School in Paris, France, and the Sorbonne. I loved all of the places were I taught. I didn't exactly have a favorite place. Before he died, my husband Pierre taught children like me at the Radium Institute. Then, after he passed away, I took his job there. Like my husband, I enjoyed teaching.

I effected a lot of people's lives during the war. One thing I did, with the help of my daughter, was teach workers at the hospital how to take X-rays. Because a bunch of people learned how to take X-rays right away, injured soldiers began getting help much faster.

Around that same time period, I also gathered old cars that people around town were not using and gave them to the hospital for medical purposes like transportation. These two things effected the hospital and the care of the soldiers drastically. (In a good way)

Apparently I am a very helpful person. Do you think so?

My Childhood

On November 7th, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, my life officially began. I was a shy, small girl living with my four siblings and parents. The one sibling I was especially close to my sister Bronya.

My fellow siblings and I went to a school where the teachers were Russian and all they taught about were things relating to Russia. You couldn't even speak in Polish or you would find yourself in some serious trouble. Life as a child at school was not pleasant, especially for me.

In my class, I was of course the youngest, only ten years of age, but also the smartest. Every so often Mr. Hornberg, the school inspector, would come and visit our classroom and ask questions. My teacher always called on me to answer the questions because I always got the answers right. I hated it because not only did I not like answering questions all the time, but I hated how my teacher was always taking advantage of me.

Early in my childhood, my oldest sister Sophia, and my mom died. I was devastated, but grew away from the sadness by reading.

Later, Bronya and I attended what was called, "The Floating University." There, we learned many things, until Bronya went to real college in Paris, France. I helped her afford to go there by becoming a governess, or a lady who takes care of people's houses and teaches their children, when I was eighteen years old. This was the end to my childhood. I was now working as a grown adult.