What if glowing rocks could help doctors save lives? Start with that question to spark wonder and introduce Marie Curie as the scientist who discovered that strange invisible energy called radioactivity.
Meet Marie Curie. She lived from 1867 to 1934 and worked in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today we focus on her discovery of radioactivity — the invisible power inside some elements — and why it mattered.
She discovered two elements (polonium and radium), named the idea 'radioactivity', and won two Nobel Prizes — the first person to win in two different sciences. She also set up labs to teach others.
Her work helped doctors use X-rays and develop radiation treatments for cancer. During World War I she made mobile X-ray vans that saved lives. Her curiosity and courage changed medicine and showed that girls can be brilliant scientists too.
