With whom did Marie Curie share the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics?

Ernest Rutherford and Niels Bohr

Marie Curie was the first woman to do what in 1903?

Teach at Oxford University in England

How did Pierre Curie die in 1906?

He was struck by a horse-drawn wagon in Paris

Before Marie Curie traveled to Stockholm to receive her 1911 prize, what did a Nobel committee member suggest?

That she should bring her daughters

That she should speak in Swedish

Marie Curie Nobel Prize Quiz: Two Prizes in Two Sciences

This Marie Curie Nobel Prize quiz explores how the Polish-French scientist won two Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, from the 1903 physics prize shared with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel to her 1911 chemistry prize, the remarkable Nobel family that followed, including Irène Joliot-Curie, and her burial in the Panthéon in Paris. Fifteen questions.

Start Marie Curie Nobel Prize Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 15 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 15 Time: 150s

1903
In which year did Marie Curie win her first Nobel Prize?
1903
With whom did Marie Curie share the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics?
1911
In which field did Marie Curie win her second Nobel Prize in 1911?
Records
What record does Marie Curie still hold among Nobel winners?
Firsts
Marie Curie was the first woman to do what in 1903?
Family
Which of Marie Curie's daughters also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
Family
How many Nobel Prizes did the Curie family win in total, counting a son-in-law's Peace Prize for UNICEF?
Pierre
How did Pierre Curie die in 1906?
Sorbonne
After Pierre's death, Marie became the first woman to hold what position at the Sorbonne?
1911
Before Marie Curie traveled to Stockholm to receive her 1911 prize, what did a Nobel committee member suggest?
Origins
In which city was Marie Curie born in 1867?
War
During World War I, Marie Curie tried to donate what to the French war effort?
Units
Which unit of radioactivity was named in honor of the Curies?
Honors
In 1995, Marie Curie became the first woman honored for her own achievements in which Paris monument?
Biography
Which daughter wrote the famous 1937 biography Madame Curie?

Explanations: answer key for all 15 questions

Q1: In which year did Marie Curie win her first Nobel Prize?
Answer: 1903
She shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for research on radiation. It made her the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
Q2: With whom did Marie Curie share the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics?
Answer: Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel
Becquerel had discovered that uranium gives off rays. Marie and Pierre Curie studied the effect in depth.
Q3: In which field did Marie Curie win her second Nobel Prize in 1911?
Answer: Chemistry
She won the chemistry prize alone for discovering the elements polonium and radium. She also isolated pure radium.
Q4: What record does Marie Curie still hold among Nobel winners?
Answer: Only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences
Linus Pauling also won two Nobel Prizes, but one was for peace. Curie remains the only person to win in two sciences.
Q5: Marie Curie was the first woman to do what in 1903?
Answer: Win a Nobel Prize
She was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in any field. Her achievement opened doors for women in science.
Q6: Which of Marie Curie's daughters also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry?
Answer: Irène Joliot-Curie
Irène won the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with her husband, Frédéric Joliot, for creating artificial radioactivity.
Q7: How many Nobel Prizes did the Curie family win in total, counting a son-in-law's Peace Prize for UNICEF?
Answer: Five
Marie won two, Pierre one, Irène and Frédéric shared one each, and Henry Labouisse accepted the 1965 Peace Prize for UNICEF. That makes five.
Q8: How did Pierre Curie die in 1906?
Answer: He was struck by a horse-drawn wagon in Paris
Pierre slipped in the rain and was hit by a heavy wagon. Marie took over his teaching post at the Sorbonne.
Q9: After Pierre's death, Marie became the first woman to hold what position at the Sorbonne?
Answer: Professor
She became the first female professor at the University of Paris in 1906. Her first lecture drew a huge crowd.
Q10: Before Marie Curie traveled to Stockholm to receive her 1911 prize, what did a Nobel committee member suggest?
Answer: That she should not come
A newspaper scandal about her private life led one member to ask her to stay away. She went anyway, saying her work had nothing to do with her private life.
Q11: In which city was Marie Curie born in 1867?
Answer: Warsaw
She was born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw, then part of the Russian Empire. She moved to Paris in 1891 to study.
Q12: During World War I, Marie Curie tried to donate what to the French war effort?
Answer: Her Nobel Prize gold medals
The French bank refused to melt the medals. She used her prize money to buy war bonds instead.
Q13: Which unit of radioactivity was named in honor of the Curies?
Answer: The curie
The curie measures how much a radioactive source decays per second. The becquerel, named after Henri Becquerel, is the modern SI unit.
Q14: In 1995, Marie Curie became the first woman honored for her own achievements in which Paris monument?
Answer: The Panthéon
Her remains and Pierre's were moved to the Panthéon, where France honors its great figures.
Q15: Which daughter wrote the famous 1937 biography Madame Curie?
Answer: Ève
Ève Curie was a writer and journalist. Her biography became a best-seller and was made into a film in 1943.

Marie Curie Nobel Prize Quiz – A Record That Still Stands

Marie Curie is one of the most honored scientists in history. Born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw in 1867, she moved to Paris to study physics and mathematics. With her husband Pierre, she studied the mysterious rays discovered by Henri Becquerel.

In 1903 the three shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on radiation, making Marie the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. Tragedy struck in 1906 when Pierre died in a street accident, but Marie continued their work and became the first female professor at the Sorbonne.

In 1911 she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry on her own for discovering polonium and radium. Despite a newspaper scandal and a request to stay away, she traveled to Stockholm to accept it. She remains the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences.

Her family continued the tradition. Her daughter Irène and son-in-law Frédéric Joliot won the 1935 chemistry prize, bringing the family total to five with a later Peace Prize for UNICEF. In 1995 Marie and Pierre were laid to rest in the Panthéon in Paris.

What This Quiz Teaches

Her 1903 physics prize
Her 1911 chemistry prize
Her unique Nobel record
Pierre Curie and the Sorbonne
The Curie family's Nobel Prizes
Honors and legacy

Quick Facts About Marie Curie's Nobel Prizes

She is the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes.
She won her first prize at age 36.
Irène Joliot-Curie won her prize 24 years after her mother's second.
The element curium is named after the Curies.
She died in 1934 from an illness linked to radiation exposure.
Her work led to new cancer treatments.