Marie Curie: How to break the glass ceiling in science and in radiology

Abstract

Marie Curie was born in Warsaw in1867. She graduated first in her class in her undergraduate programs in physics and mathematics at Sorbonne University, and she was one of the first women to earn a PhD. She was the first woman to win a Nobel prize (in physics, together with her husband, Pierre Curie), and she was also the first person to win a second Nobel prize in another category (chemistry). Her life is an example of dedication to science based on altruism, personal growth, and tenacity. Being the first woman to break through so many barriers in a totally male-dominated science makes her an emblematic figure in the fight for equal opportunities and human rights. This article reviews her most important contributions to science in general and to diagnostic radiology in particular through her participation in the French military's radiological plan during the First World War.

Keywords: First World War; Primera Guerra Mundial; Radiografía; Radiography; Radiology; Radiología; Rayos X; X-rays.