How Did Marie Curie's Contributions Impact Upon Society?

Marie Curie's research into radioactive isotopes is what modern cancer treatment is based on today, and is the reason why she's considered a household name in the field of cancer care.

Curie's discoveries in chemistry and physics impacted upon society in several other ways, too:

Marie Curie's impact on science Marie Curie discovered two new radioactive chemical elements (with the help of her husband). She named them polonium (after her homeland, Poland), and radium.

These two elements have impacted upon our society in several ways:

• The discovery of radium's radioactive properties lead scientists to reconsider everything they thought they knew about energy creation - and this led to a revolution in terms of advances in physics and chemistry.
• Our understanding of the atom and its structure was also instigated by Curie's research on radium.
• In a medical context, cancer treatment and x-ray technology are two areas which were greatly boosted by Marie Curie's research.

Marie Curie's impact on society
Apart from her scientific work, Marie Curie was also a role model for many:

• She was a pioneer in terms of women's contribution to science, and she is championed for the way she fought adversity. Society had very backward views on women at the time, and Curie had to overcome many prejudices to succeed in the way she did.
• Marie Curie is also widely hailed for her remarkable character. She was very honest and humble, and donated a lot of her money to friends, family, and the needy. She even waived her right to patent the radium-isolation process she had discovered, because she felt it would hinder the progress of scientific research.

Marie Curie is one of the most famous scientists that ever lived. Her contributions such as the discovery of Radium and other key elements help us out every day, especially when getting an x-ray.