Evening star., 1921-05-11
Her Brilliant Aehl.x.,,.,,.

hef Brilliant Achievements.
"me. Mario Curie. whose discovery
OF radium in 1898 has been called
.he realization of the dream of an
eient alchemists" vas born in War.
saw. Poland. on November 7. 1887
Her father. Prof. sklodowsk, "a.
an instructor in physics and chen,.
Ist.y IN the University of Wsrsaw
ana TOT some years before enterinr
upon her professional career an
, tory. S iaoora-
She married. in 1896. Pierre cur,e,
professor of general physics in ~.
| University of Paris. who had sh.rnd
with her the honor of collaboration
Later sis'ns P,oS Ser r great find to the world.
wagon and killed. Nine. Curie has
Two children-Irene, twenfv yaa.s
oIo' VINO. IKE her mother. has faken
up scienfinc research. and I,ano,her
daughter OF fifteen years.
Saved $1,000 Soldiers.
The discovery of radium enriched
many persons throughout the wor,d
1t has been estimated that its u..
during the war saved the lives ~
not less than $4,000 wounded man
notwithstanding the fact that Nine
Curie has devoted more than hal, -,
her nfty-three years to the st,,dv ~
radioactive substances, she ia . COW
paratively poor woman
~ gave my secret to the world"
she declared. 1t was not to enric,,
any one. 1t was for all people.
Many fantastic stories have h.
toId ABOUT radium and its mysterious
properties. II. has. been said that ous .n
ounce OF this metallic chemical eis-
ment found in pitchblende" is wolth .
more than $4,000. 600. to obtain wbich
requires the reduction of 300 tons ~
ore by the most painstakinp and cnrn
plicated processes eo''
The modest discoverer of radium ba.
neVer; is said. refused TO release IL
over. as a result Of which her snail
store mas become exhausted. THE
great Polish woman nt's visit ~
! America. primarily for the purnose ~
irnyestisahng pitchblende deposits in
other states. gave rise to the rovaI
ment on the part Of American womsn
70 supply Nine. Curie with a 1ram ~
ran anium. worth 500, 900. which shall be
"a an aon ner own" This will enable her
atlve lines when she returns To Rer;.
Discovery Not an Accident.
DR.. Robert Able. a New York sur
eeon. who worked years ago along.
side OF Nine. Curie in her Pari. lab.
orarory, recently declared that m
other woman had ever pursued a t,ot,
into an unknown jungle and brou1ht
10 hight such an ''unsuspected new
factor which had had such a ,.vo1u-
tionary influence in science, He ..id
she did not stumble on radium nv
chance. 'on oy
The discovery Of radium cam. ,h,,.
In TINS wise: Prof. 'Roentgen. a Gsr.
man scientist. announced His Sisce.H
cry OF the x-ray in 1895. These rsys
possessed the property of emittinT
radiations Of a special character
when were able to penetrate through
matter Opaque to ordinary light.
year iater II. Becquerel. a French
ium preparations emitted ravs r.-
sembling those discovered bv Ro.nt-
gen. Becquerel rays became the naw
| wonder and by delicate tests wera
proved to be electrical. Thus began
the search for the new element and
every form OF uranium in laboratories
Nine. Curie by long and tedious
process Of extracting lead, silver. tin
bismuth and other metallic sur
| stances from the pile Of refuse dis
! solved the moss until the residue was
sixty times stronger than uranium.
DR.. Able says OF this:
This small remnant elowed in thu
dark. All but two metals had been
eliminated. These were known not
! to have the slightest radio activity.
Therefore. there could be but one
conclusion-Mmes Curie was facing
| a mysterious new force" Two years
later she was able to announce its
discovery and her method Of extract
iDO n fr0m the nFA