See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Thomas Edison Story.
Life Lesson #99 – Try, Really Try.
In November of 1867, there was a very special girl named Marya Sklodowska, who was born in the country of Poland. Her father and her older sister, Bronia, spent a lot of time HELPING Marya learn to read. She loved reading, and she loved learning. As she grew older, she really became interested in learning math and science! When she was still very young, her sister wanted to go to college and become a doctor, but that cost a lot of money, and their family just didn’t have much money. That’s when Marya decided to get a job to HELP her sister have money for college. Later, her sister finished college, became a doctor, and then HELPED Marya go to college and become a scientist!
Her sister had gone to college in Paris, France, so Marya went to college there, too. Soon, Marya changed her name to Marie, because that’s the French name for Marya. Eventually, she married a man named Pierre Curie, and Marie Sklodowska became Marie Curie.
Together, with her husband, who was also a scientist, Marie Curie made some amazing discoveries about radio-active materials, and she learned how to extract an element called radium! From her work, we can now produce electricity using nuclear power, and we now have many special ways to HELP people in hospitals, too. Things like X-rays can see broken bones inside injured people. Radium is also used for people with cancer and other diseases. And it was all made possible because of Marie Curie’s work. As she got older, people began to call her Madame Curie. Yes, that amazing young girl who loved learning became an amazing lady, and that lady, Madame Curie, became a very special hero.
– Jim Lord