Marie Curie was a woman who boldly broke many gender barriers and stereotypes in her life. Mostly remembered as someone who discovered radioactivity, Curie’s reason of groundbreaking work achievements and demise was the same: radioactive elements that rocked the Victorian Europe. She pioneered the field of radioactivity with her husband Pierre Curie, winning two Nobel Prizes for achievements in two distinct fields.

Here are 10 things you should know about this historic woman scientist remembered through ages around her 153^rd birth anniversary.

• Marie Curie was born as Maria Salomea Skłodowska on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. She was the youngest of her five siblings. Both her parents were educators.
• Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Moreover, she is the only person to have won two Nobel Prizes in two different (scientific) fields till date. Her first Nobel Prize was in 1903 with husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for their research in radiation. Curie’s discovery of radium and polonium led her to win a solo Nobel in chemistry. Notably, her daughter Irène Joliot-Curie won a Nobel prize in 1935, making this the only mother-daughter to have won respective Nobel Prizes.
• Curie became the first woman to earn a PhD from a French University, while also the first to be appointed as a professor at the University of Paris. Furthermore, she was the first woman to be honoured at the Panthéon which is a mausoleum in the center of Paris which contains the remains of the most distinguished French citizens.

• She was originally of a Polish descent as she hailed from Warsaw and became a French citizen after marrying Pierre Curie. However, she retained her Polish identity and even made sure her daughters learn Polish and its culture. She even named the first element she discovered after her native country: Polonium.
• Pierre Curie and Marie Curie met in 1894. She was looking for a laboratory space then. They both worked as dedicated partners owing to their love for science. He had to propose Curie twice before their marriage in 1894.
• Marie Curie became a World War I hero, as she brought mobile radiography units, which were vehicles installed with X-Ray diagnostic equipment for treatment of the soldiers. Curie made around 20 such vehicles and installed over 200 at field hospitals, enlisting a group of women including her daughter at the radiological vehicle units. The mobile units, known as Petites Curies (Little Curies) diagnosed over a million wounded soldiers.
• In 1903, only Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel were nominated for the Nobel Prize due to the prevalent sexist attitudes. Curie insisted on his wife’s inclusion in the prize as she had much to contribute to their research.

• Days before the announcement of Curie’s second Nobel Prize, the details of an affair of Curie were revealed publically by the wife of her lover, which led to much controversy. Regardless, Curie claimed her solo Nobel Prize in chemistry. Albert Einstein supported Curie during the crisis.
• The dangers of radioactivity were not known in Curie’s time as we know today. Pierre Curie used to keep a sample for demonstrating its glowing and heating properties, while Marie Curie used to keep one as a bedside lamp. At no point did the couple realize that the health problems they were facing were due to their discoveries. Their personal belongings and notes are still very radioactive and can’t be viewed or studied even today.
• Curie died on July 4, 1934 due to aplastic anemia, believed to have been caused by her prolonged exposure to radioactive material. She received many awards and recognition posthumously. Several educational and research institutions and medical centers bear the Curie name, including the Curie Institute and Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC).