10 Smartest Human Beings Of All Time
7. Marie Curie
Marie Curie is a name you’ve probably heard of, but many people aren’t aware of this woman’s great achievements.
She was born in Warsaw, Poland, in the mid-nineteenth century. Her father was a teacher who specialised in maths and physics, and Curie soon latched onto these fields during her childhood.
As a young woman, she studied in France, where she obtained Licenciateships (licenses to practice certain professions) in several scientific subjects. From this academic foundation, Curie became a Doctor of Science in 1903 and the Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences at Sorbonne, a renowned Parisian university.
Curie then carried out revolutionary research with uranium rays and discovered the radioactive elements Polonium and Radium. As well as forming the foundation of modern cancer treatments, her work with X-ray technology also helped soldiers recover from their wounds during the Great War.
Given the importance of her discoveries, Curie was honoured with several Nobel Prizes.