In this quiet moment captured in the early 1900s, Marie Curie sits with her daughters, Irène and Ève. It’s a tender scene—a mother with her children. But behind this gentle photograph lies a story of brilliance that would echo across generations. Marie had already made history. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and later became the only person ever to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences. But her greatest legacy might not have been her discoveries. It might have been what she passed down. Irène, the elder daughter, grew up in her mother’s laboratory. She watched Marie measure, test, question, and discover. She saw what passion and precision could unlock. That example took root deeply. Years later, Irène and her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie discovered artificial radioactivity—a breakthrough that transformed our understanding of atomic physics. In 1935, they won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Their work became the foundation for nuclear medicine and energy, carrying forward the scientific torch Marie had lit. Ève, the younger daughter, chose something completely different. Gifted in music and language, she became a concert pianist, then a writer and journalist. After Marie died in 1934, Ève wrote “Madame Curie”—a biography that introduced millions worldwide to her mother’s quiet strength and revolutionary discoveries. During World War II, while her sister worked in laboratories, Ève traveled as a war correspondent, documenting humanity’s darkest and finest hours. Later, she devoted herself to humanitarian work with UNICEF, advocating for children across the globe.
Skłodowska
Zwiebel@feddit.org 1 day ago
The caption makes you think each of the daughters got a nobel price LEAVE SOME FOR THE REST OF US MARIE
U7826391786239@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
also if you want to be sciencey and technically correct, there are 3 daughters in the photo
vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 9 hours ago
You are assuming that Marie Curie was born of and not by Atoms Devine glow.
CatAssTrophy@safest.space 9 hours ago
One of them did, though! Irene Joliot-Curie got the 1935 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
NaibofTabr@infosec.pub 1 day ago
Seriously though, her Wikipedia page is ridiculous. When the hell did she have time to raise children?
CatAssTrophy@safest.space 9 hours ago
Her father in law lived with them after his wife died shortly after her first daughter was born. He acted as babysitter when Marie was working. They also hired a servant to take care of most housework and cooking.
TheBat@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Her children were probably intelligent enough to not need raising. 🤷♂️