The story of Madame Curie is more fascinating than most fictional novels. Born Polish to families that lost everything in the political uprisings of the nineteenth century, Marie found her identity at the University of Paris. She was married to Pierre, a man who treated her as an equal in scientific investigations, and together they shared a Nobel Prize for the discovery of the causes of radioactivity. When Pierre was killed in a traffic accident, Marie was invited by the university to occupy his chair -- making her the first female professor of the school.
