The story of Marie Curie's rise to prominence is one of perseverance and triumph over tremendous obstacles. The legacy of scientific knowledge she left resulted from some of the most important research ever conducted, most before she was thirty-five years old--a tremendous accomplishment for any scientist, let alone a young woman at the turn of the century.

Curie was born Marie Sklodowska in Warsaw, Poland, in 1867. Her mother was principal of a local girls' school, and her father a physics teacher. Curie showed early signs of following in her parents' footsteps, excelling in both primary and high schools. Unfortunately, Poland was under Russian rule, and the Polish intelligentsia was not favored by the Russian authorities. Although her record was outstanding, Curie was barred from her homeland's universities. After working for several years, during which time she subsidized her sister's education in Paris, Curie left Poland for France, where...