Tragedy struck the Curie family in 1906. Pierre was killed in an accident and Marie was devastated. However sad she was, she was more determined than ever to continue her work. Marie became the first woman professor in France and took her husband's place as head of the physics department at the Sorbonne. In 1910, Marie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her work with radioactivity.
Chemistry is the science of matter, structure and reactions.
This time, the award was for her work and her work alone. She went to Stockholm, Sweden, to receive her prize. When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, Marie decided she would do her best to help the wounded soldiers. Marie bought cars and vans that helped transport X-ray machines to battlefields and hospitals. X-rays are photographs of the inside of the body.