Quite a Family!

16 Quite a Family! There once was a man who lived in Russia in the 1800s. He was a respected teacher. He had a son who was a good teacher too. This son had two daughters. In the 1800s, many believed that women should not get a good education. Their destiny was to stay at home and have children. But the father knew his daughters were smart. Going against the norm, he sent them to university in Paris. One of these daughters married a scientist. The two worked together, trying to explain why certain rocks glowed and gave off energy. It seemed impossible to discover the reason why these strange rocks did this, but the couple worked tirelessly anyway. They had no idea that their research would eventually change the world. What was their discovery? Radiation- used today to treat cancer, a terrible illness.

Unfortunately, they were unaware that these weird rocks were dangerous if not handled properly. The dust from the rocks got in their eyes and lungs, and made them sick. Back then, scientific discovery was very dangerous. Many scientists paid a huge price for their work for humankind. In fact, the woman eventually died as a result of working with these radioactive rocks. Her exposure to radiation was so bad that her notes from over one hundred years ago are still too dangerous to handle. They are kept in lead-lined boxes. The only way for people to safely view them is to wear protect- ive clothes to shield them from radioactive poisoning. This woman, the daughter and granddaughter of teachers, became the first female professor at the University of Paris. She lived and died for learning, and her selfless dedication to science was rewarded in the end. She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in two different fields. Her name? Marie Curie. Marie had a daughter who also went on to win a Nobel Prize. Quite a family!