Madame Curie Story: How Radium Was Discovered in a Shed

This is the story of Marie Sklodowska Curie (Madame Curie) and how she ended up discovering radiation and radioactivity in an old shed!
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I found many great pictures and links to original sources at:
history.aip.org/history/exhib...
As usual the background music was with permission from the fabulous Kim Nalley who also made her version of "Electricity, Electricity" from Schoolhouse Rock for my introduction song.

[@lily.asquith]

Kathy, I discovered your videos while trying to prepare for a new module I am teaching on "modern physics" - I have included several of them in my syllabus as required watching. I think you are the greatest science communicator I have ever seen.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Lily Asquith lily, thank you so much for your kind words. Sometimes I worry that I am wasting my time. By the way, what level are you teaching? I will get to more modern physics but it is slow, sorry.

[@owenbarker4726]

Kathy Loves Physics & History Dear Kathy, How can we send you a video demonstrating Cherenkov drive ?

[@magonji]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics No way! Your videos are the best science videos are on youtube. Rigorous... Clear... Thank you so much for dedicating your time to us!!

[@layishevik]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics Wasting your time, are you kidding me?!!! I am an Electrical Engineering professor and I have been binge-watching all your videos...especially those on Maxwell, Faraday and Hertz. The back stories behind the discoveries are very fascinating. Many thanks for these videos......and please keep up the good work

[@ronjon7942]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics oh my, don’t ever feel like you’re wasting your time. Not only am I burning through your essays, I frequently go back to them as a valuable resource while monkeying around w electronics.

[@srvr1007]

Every time I see a notification for a new video, I start singing (badly) the electricity, electricity intro tune. Glad to see you're finally on Patreon. Absolutely blown away by the quality of your content. Your enthusiasm for both history and science adds so much. Thank you for telling these stories.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

My kids also sing the song (badly). Thank you again for joining Patreon, and for being so supportive, it is such a trip to have people like my work who aren't required to or they sleep on the couch.

[@franciscoferreiracarmo4397]

What a great video! No doubt your enthusiasm makes the difference, together with the quality of your research and content. Congratulations and thanks a lot!

[@h2energynow]

Not only clear, but illustrated with wonderful diagrams, and original documents, Awe inspiring. You are amazing Kathy!

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Thank you so much

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics No, thank you!

[@DucatiMTS1200]

You’re magic. What a communicator. Thank you for making these fabulous videos!

[@robhp1]

Kathy you’re marvelously telling the story with all those details that help to understand the why’s and the context (unlike most videos that expose the highlights and the prices, which doesn’t matter to understand Maria’s drive. So, thank you!!!

[@jackd.ripper7613]

Wow... almost 15 extra minutes of Kathy talking about history. It's good to be alive... Great job as usual and, as always, I learned something new. I don't care how much you think you know, there's always something new to learn in any subject. You seem to bring the fun little nuances of history together with science in a way I've never seen before. Way cool and way fun!

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Thanks as usual Mr. Jack

[@TomPauls007]

I have generally read about this couple and their discovery(ies), but this vid was very well presented and complete. Fascinating! Thanks, Kathy. Good job, as usual.

[@tobystewart4403]

It really was the most astonishing doctoral thesis. Real experimental science, changing the way humanity understood the fundamental properties of matter.

[@Tomh821]

You are a Godsend to the lay audience, the ones, including myself, who could not go very far in mathematics but love to know about physics.

[@JDrwal2]

Your stories are unbelievably interesting. And scientific at the same time. Finally something for those who know a few things and are bored with videos for “everyone”.

[@hannastaszak1684]

Maria Skłodowska - Curie była geniuszem. W 8 lat 2 Nagrody Nobla z fizyki i chemii ❤❤❤

[@scotland99]

Always admired Dr Marie Curie!

[@dimension2788]

Nice the original thesis cover! Thanks Kathy never saw it before.

[@karhukivi]

Marie worked as a governess to fund her sister Bronia's studies in the Sorbonne to become a physician. The plan was that once qualified, Bronia would then fund Maria (Marie) to study chemistry and physics, also in the Sorbonne - a rather clever funding model!

[@gpwgpw555]

In 1968 during freshman orientation, a teacher told the students that many of the women came to collage to get there MRS. But they instead got a PHT (Put Hubby Thought).

[@GoyzaBagguett]

1:40 relatable quotes plus the discovery of radium ,glad it wasn't too too rough

[@deeiks12]

I'm happy i discovered your channel. Wonderful videos, been binge'ing then for a while now and will continue. Somehow the history of science is so fascinating to me. And learning the history helps you understand the science itself.

[@kevincarr8434]

Kathy, I’ve watched every one of your history of electricity videos,up until this one so far. Anyways, I love your videos. You are amazing. You explain the history so well it’s awesome.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

So glad you like my videos and thank you for watching so many! Cheers, Kathy

[@purplealice]

Marie was one of my childhood role models, proof that a woman could, indeed, be a scientist. What a remarkable woman!

[@MayimHastings]

I am broke, but the second I become... not broke, I am 🐝 lining it to your patreon because you are a goddess! Brilliantly done 🙇🏻‍♀️👏

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Tay Leigh thank you soo much for the lovely compliment. I hope you joined the email list. Cheers, Kathy.

[@MayimHastings]

Kathy Loves Physics Thank you so much for your reply, what an honor! So happy to have found your channel, and I am signing up as we speak 🥰. Happiness and joy to you and yours through the holidays (or just because)!💚 From Atlanta

[@user-rw1ko1lr4u]

Wonderfully entertaining. If you are a scientist in heart and mind, don't let difficulties discourage you.

[@wasihaider1221]

They are amazing video. I am a physicist, however through your videos I learnt many interesting things.

[@anthonyxuereb792]

Love the smile and enthusiasm........and the subject matter.

[@DanielLopez-up6os]

Youre videos are so informative, and way better than my UNI professors.

[@unagisf3195]

I had the incredible privilege of being taught physics in my last year of high school by a woman who had been a student of Marie Curie. Whew! That was a lot of reflected glory :-)

[@CharlesCarlsonC3]

Great video exploration of the beginning of understanding the atom. I just got back from Warszawa, Poland and got to see the Curie Home from the outside. It’s likely a reconstruction since that area of Warszawa suffered under German occupation during WWII, but wow. I didn’t know that much about Marie and Pierre’s history, nor that she was such a fervent nationalist, perhaps ethnicist, since Poland didn’t exist as a country at that time. What an amazing combination of intelligence, youthful zeal, passion and idealism. I loved the use of piezo-electric effect as a current measuring device. What a scientific team she and Pierre formed. I particularly like Pierre’s wooing aspirational quote to Marie about using science to change the course of history. They did. Probably not exactly in the ways they thought at the time.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

My friend just asked me who was smarter Marie or Pierre and I just didn't know what to say. They were both so brilliant.

[@offeraviad]

Fascinating. thank you very much for putting this together.

[@victoryiu1481]

Thank you for your enthusiastic contribution in science. Thank you.

[@lechj9351]

Thank you for the fabulous presentation. It delivered a lot of hard-to-find information in a great style. A small correction - Marie' s first love name was Kazimierz, not Zazimierz. Kazimierz Żórawski was a renowned Polish mathematician.

[@SQ5TK]

and Mania not Manya

[@user-om8vg3ro9c]

Thank you for the work you are doing.

[@mckenziekeith7434]

I know this is an old video. I just found you. Great video. I had only heard bits and pieces of Marie Curie's story. It was great to hear so much more of it.

[@dramatichealth]

Wow! What a story! Incredibly informative and well made video. Thanks, Kathy!

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Thanks, I really liked learning about her, I was worried that she would be dry and dull but I think she was fascinating.

[@ernestoterrazas3480]

Congratulations Kathy Your videos are very entertaining and interesting thank you for putting all that time and effort for your viewers.

[@glenmartin2437]

Thank you. Great video. Marie and Pierre Curie inspired me to become a chemist. I saw the old "Madam Curie" movie as an 8-year-old. I have ancestors and relatives from Austria, France and Poland. Thanks again.

[@schoolssection]

Fascinating......I have relatives from Sweden, Germany and the U.K.

[@davekelly5372]

I love your whole channel, thank you so much.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

You are quite welcome

[@GalvestonGuy]

Fascinating and scary! Thank you! New fave channel!

[@thomasfisher5742]

Kathy love these videos always been a great admirer of MARIE CURIE...so sad my interest in PHYSICS came so late in my life....stay well

[@ProfessorBeautiful]

This is priceless!! I learned so much! And your book The Lightning Tamers is priceless. I hope you will keep writing. I wish all pre-college education too advantage of your amazing melding of history and physics.

[@marin4311]

You are a wonderful story-teller, Kathy.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Thank you

[@DaveRyanShow]

Currently reading “Radium Girls” and came here to find out more about it. Great and interesting content! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and enthusiausm!

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

I couldn’t read more than 10 pages of that book, it was very well written but so upsetting and disturbing that I couldn’t get through it. I can’t imagine how it must’ve felt to have written it.

[@dahawk8574]

Radioactivity should have been called Curious Rays.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

That would have been perfect!

[@robertgotschall1246]

I was reading about Mm Curie in the 60s. One of the kids in class asked if it was dangerous to stir pitchblende. My HS English teacher never saw this video.

[@allanrichardson9081]

Personal ad: “Frenchman with ‘magnetic’ personality seeks ‘hot’ Polish babe. Object: wedding bells and No-bels.” (Pierre Curie also researched magnetism, and the temperature at which permanent magnets made of a given material lose their magnetism is called the Curie point in his honor.)

[@truckerenoch8824]

I'm related to a very famous physicist from that time and he was a strong public advocate for getting women into the sciences. Especially chemistry, because he thought their experience in the kitchen gave them a unique understanding of thermodynamics and chemistry that would be well suited in the lab. Harriet Brooks was actually a student of his.

[@marcopilati7464]

great lessons, very interesting. cheers from Italy

[@AbeDillon]

All your videos are fantastic! How do you keep the quality so high?! You're amazing!

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Aww thanks- I keep wanting to say this more videos that are shorter and faster and I keep on going the other direction and producing videos longer and more complicated because… I am in a unique position to do whatever the hell I want and that’s what I want

[@lofioto]

Very educational!

[@jafinch78]

Interesting history of her daughter and son in law also as well as other aspects of her interest, concerns and work. Makes me wonder also like with particle radiation; the epigenomic, genomic, transriptomic, proteinomic and metabolomic (I like to break down into what I define as human nutrient "-omes" terms I started using up at Tech when I was studying biochemistry... peptideomic, aminomic, nucleicomic, lipidomic, carbomic, vitaminomic and mineralomic (especially considering allitropes, polymorphs, ions and isotopes) factors of the EMS radiation that are a cause for concern in regards to the effects that may not be as healthy. To the contrary, the same regarding the compounding and concealing of the health benefits of nonionizing radiation and I guess ionizing radiation to a certain extent. The biochemistry, molecular biology and cell biology awareness in regards to the benefits and dangers seems challenging to clearly expose since high quality leading edge diagnostic and therapeutic methods seem like law... a bunch of talk that isn't even valid at times. Granted, us scientists can save and share what we've learned and learned from. I'm rambling. :-|) Awesome to see another valid science and physics history lesson Kathy Loves Physics.

[@NormReitzel]

Really enjoy your videos.

[@andrzejpl9897]

Well done ! 👍

[@dosomething3]

absolutely incredible 😮😮😮😮

[@flyjet787]

The origin of the word "radioactive"! WOW!

[@bridgettholman4074]

That was pretty awesome!!!

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

So glad you liked it. I was surprised how much I would like Marie too as I thought she would be dull. So happy to be wrong.

[@klocugh12]

Great discoveries, and a demonstration why OSHA exists.

[@shawnmulberry774]

"With science, perhaps we can accomplish something."

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Perhaps

[@toddanonymous5295]

Kathy, If you get a chance , try and watch the 1943 movie called Madame Curie staring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon . It chronicles the life of Marie Curie and is one of my favorites. Just like your channel is one of my favorites .

[@John-bv2ft]

Well made

[@MeFreeBee]

I wonder how many potential geniuses have been lost to us because they didn't have the good fortune to hook up with enlightened souls such as Pierre. What a loss it would have been.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Right? I think about it all the time. How many women, how many disabled people, how many people born to the “wrong” class or the “wrong” country to be listened to who could’ve created such important discoveries that we will never know. It’s such a waste.

[@hungrysoles]

Madame Curie worked closely with the Flannery Brothers from Pittsburgh ,who manufactured Radium and died from their exposure it . She visited Pittsburgh in the 1920s. There was a place in Canonsburg ,Pa, where Radium wade that was be fenced off because of its high contamination by the substance.. It was also used as a substance that made watches glow in the dark and many of the women who painted the Radium on the watch faces died of Radium poisoning.

[@juanjoseescanellas3798]

Great!

[@hansvetter8653]

Marie Curie ... what a brave woman!

[@arunprasad9084]

Good evening madam, very nicely explained...

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Glad you liked it

[@arunprasad9084]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics thank you madam

[@julianramirez4465]

I wish i could join u on Patron, u deserve it but i'm broke:( Never the less, i'm already advertising you from Colombia, telling everybody about ur awesome videos. Keep it up, you are doing great. Best of lucks Kathy, i'll be waiting for your Rutherford video. Much love

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Julian, thank you so much for believing in me and promoting me. Make sure you get on the mailing list, OK? I want to make sure you get the Rutherford video early.

[@kornami8678]

Watch the very good 1943 movie Madame Curie starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, and how they find their work glowing in the dark.

[@ronjon7942]

Is it possible you may have a Podcast channel somewhere? Oh, and is ‘Electricity’ jingle from The Electric Company kids show I grew up with? I know I heard it somewhere, I just can’t put my finger on it. And I love it! I may make a ringtone or an alarm from it.

[@Grey-Elder]

I was panicking because I lost you for a while! Anyone know how to keep a folder dedicated for this wonderful teacher. 🧑‍🏫

[@adamskucinski]

Although this is again an interesting video there is one thing which raises my concern. During 1800s Poland was divided and occupied by foreign forces, specifially the only university existed earlier in the part where Madame Curie was born and raised, was closed by one of those foreign forces (Russian Empire) as an act of retaliation. Hence seeing that line: "...or maybe it was her home country refusal to let her teach or study at the university" - made me rather sad. And as captivated as I am by the content of this channel (I have been binge watching it for some time), unfortunately that single line casts a shadow on everything I have seen so far - because that line is at least an anachronism if not simply incorrect. I mean if you live in a country which has been occupied for decades and recently that occupying force has closed the only university which was allowed to exist earlier then it is really misleading to summarize that in such manner. That shadow of course is not originated by the fact that it's related to the country or ethnicity of mine, but to the fact that of all fascinating biographies such interestingly presented on this channel this one is the one I can reference most other sources, books and historic context by myself so I can compare the facts and draw conclusions independently. Surely I will continue to watch more fascinating videos on this channel but my scepticism is now put into a higher gear.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

According to my sources, the University was not closed down at the time but did reject her for a position because she was a woman. For example: www.mariecurie.org.uk/blog/marie-and-pierre-curie-a-marriage-of-true-minds/48568

[@adamskucinski]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics Very well, yet still not in her country, because there wasn't her country there at all on the map of Europe. And speaking about Jagiellonian University of Cracow mentioned on that page cited by you, a year later (or the same year even - 1895) first three women started studies due to decision of Polish authorities of that university - Kraków was in the part occupied by Austro-Hungarian Empire so the general conditions were actually different, which included also some degree of autonomy on education. Very soon the actions held by women organizations' representatives in the AH parliament and the decision of University to allow more women for their studies caused a change in the policy of the AH government, so that gradually women were allowed to study on all departments/divisions of the University officially, e.g. in 1897 there were already 100 women starting their studies. There are many more details to that fascinating story on e.g. forumakademickie.pl/fa-archiwum/archiwum/99/7-8/artykuly/kobiety_na_uj.htm (although this us in Polish only, but I may try to find also sources in English). There were of course struggles, nobody says that the way of emancipation was easy. E.g the Warsaw University (in Marie's hometown) was reinstated only in 1915, where German forces took over the part of Poland formerly occupied by Russian Empire. German forces not only allowed to reopen university but also the authorities of the University were Polish and also only then women were allowed to study there. Anyway I hope that with those extra details the actual context may be now more clear. An why is this so important? Because, if I may relate to a place so crucial to the development of physics as Cambridge University (in the UK) - well over there women had rather different experience with either the University authorities or their future colleagues, e.g a quick glance at the Google results brings this: www.britain-magazine.com/features/history-of-women-at-cambridge-university/ - I mean in the very same 1897 "Meanwhile in Cambridge, campaigners for women’s degrees faced violent opposition during the vote on the subject in 1897, often being pelted with eggs or risking being hit by rogue fireworks."

[@boguslawszostak1784]

@@Kathy_Loves_Physics Dear Kathy. We Polish NEVER called Rusia OUR country. This is insult for Polish People, someone name Rusia THEIR country. Our country was NOT on the maps, but it was in our hearts, and it was always POLAND. Anyway, Your pronaunsuation of Maria Skłodowska's name is flawless.

[@zl8018]

04:10 _"Maybe [...] it was her home country's refusal to let her teach or study..."_ A small correction: as you noticed earlier, Poland was at that time under Russian occupation, so it was not Marie's home country's refusal, but the refusal of Russian authorities. When Poland regained its independence in 1918 women were immediately given equal rights with men, including voting and education.

[@robertlittlejohn8666]

Hi, thanks for the video, the story of Marie Curie is one of the greatest in the history of science. BTW, don't you mean thorium instead of thallium? (for the other element besides uranium that Curie discovered was radioactive).

[@Moletrouser]

It would have been a triumph indeed to detect radioactivity in _thallium,_ the longest-lived naturally occurring radioisotope of which (we now know) has a half-life of 4¾ minutes. Mme Curie was pipped at the post by Gerhard Schmidt for the discovery of the radioactivity of _thorium_ in 1898.

[@mellertid]

Iirc, Marie's entire family were unusually talented and bright, so her genius didn't impress them much 😁

[@huangchao5164]

vivid!

The pichblende was the uranium ore, where the Curie got Radium. Kathy, Is it possible you can share with me the translation from French to English of Madame Curie´s PhD. Thesis? Thanks

[@j.o6885]

Not heard of a better love story before or since i watched this classic 😂

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Watch my video on the Bohr model.

[@ross3818]

Thanks for KLP! Could you make some easy way to get to the vid you tell us comes next?

[@adamasz54]

VEEEry interesting series of science introduced in digestive form! My only objection in this film is the name of future prof.Kazimierz Żurawski, and that time - young love of Maria Skłodowska. Name KAZIMIERZ (not Zazimierz) is Polish but was 'anglicised' in Canada where Sir CASIMIR Gzowski (also of Polish roots) developed grand rail project to B.Columbia.

[@josephovermyer9276]

wow

[@frankroberts9320]

Thallium... thorium.. It's all good.

[@NormReitzel]

My apoloies, but that is "thorium" and not "Thallium" Th, Tl --- they look the same, both metals, zB.

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Oops. Sorry about that

[@hannastaszak1684]

Maria SKŁODOWSKA - CURIE była Polką. Pierwiastek POLON nazwała na cześć swojej ojczyzny Polski 🇵🇱

[@gerrymcerlean8432]

Surely it was Thorium, not Thallium?

[@shaillybhai007]

I love physics

[@Kathy_Loves_Physics]

Me too.

[@dovbarleib3256]

Yes the discovery of Radium and Polonium in a shed has everything to do with Marie and Pierre dying of Cancer?

[@igorgerlovin3185]

8:57 -- Thallium? I think you meant Thorium!

[@aestoev]

"she found that Thalium is about as radioactive as Uranium" at 8:59? Not only that but accompanied by a picture of the element Thalium. For a historical/educational video factual information matters - this is where the kids learn from and it should be correct it. Its Thorium (Th), not Thalium (Tl).

[@TheEulerID]

Interestingly, a few years ago, a BBC R4 radio programme profile Marie Curie, and a feminist science historian who was brought in, characterised her as being a terrible role model for modern women and would be female scientists, precisely because she sacrificed so much of her life to the single-minded pursuit of science. To her mind, this ought not to be necessary, and they presented it as pandering to a male model of sacrificing family and other values. It sort of missed the idea of a vocation, and just how dedicated that some scientists were to that role. In any event, I think we should all be in awe of both her energy and her intelligence Of course, as was famously once stated genius is 99% perspiration, a 1% inspiration (your exact ratio might vary). Edison is oft quoted as the source of this, but I'm always reluctant to attribute such aphorisms to one person unless very well documented.

[@macbookpro1232]

😅

[@pauleohl]

2:00 Mademoiselle Skłodowska must be constrained by an unbearable girdle to display such an unnaturally small waist.

[@jsprite123]

I believe that was the fashion at the time.

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

Less so than many believe in modern times, at least according to some historical fashion experts on KZbin, for what its worth. However, she may have sinched it up extra tight for the photograph, as it was the fashion, just not a regular every day practice.

[@philiphorner31]

With weird science not much.

[@knowitall6677]

You got to realise that in most parts of the world it is know as a Thesis, a dissertation is used for Master's degree.

[@srebob]

i dk about elsewhere, but it is thesis for masters in USA and dissertation for doctorate. i know, i did them.

[@unknownaccount8411]

No woman in the world had phd in science 😅 come on there were two female botanists years before Marie .

[@tw5718]

Day 3 of asking for QFT.

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

Fitting that Marie Curie would live a monostatic existence. I'm sure she would enjoy playing with lone charges. Her MONASTIC existence, however, is a sad tale. 😉

[@marzymarrz5172]

Nationalism was kind of ridiculous in those not so good old days

[@charleshmansfield5786]

Kathy, I love the content, but waving at me the whole video is most distracting.

[@qualquan]

Less science an more gossip Not good

[@bobernhardsson5345]

Thanks for very nice video. But at 04:25: seems not really true that no women in the world had a PhD in Science in the 1890s? A list of women in Science, some most likely with PhDs at that time, can be found here en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_women_in_science

[@user-om8vg3ro9c]

Thank you for the work you are doing.