'History of Science, Medicine, and Technology' Seminar

‘Marie Curie and public histories of science’ by Sarah Dry
Discussant: Stéphane Van Damme (Maison Française d’Oxford)

Sarah Dry will present the revised edition of her work on Marie Curie.

To attend this event, please register here.

Marie Curie’s drive and intellect led her to remarkable scientific success. She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person ever to win Nobel Prizes in two scientific disciplines. Curie is most famous for her pioneering work in the field of radioactivity and for discovering two new elements, polonium and radium. However, Curie not only broke scientific barriers but defied the gender expectations of her time, excelling within male-dominated scientific communities.

This striking biography reframes our understanding of Curie, rejecting the iconic image of her as a solitary, saint-like figure. It recasts her as a dynamic and engaged person, simultaneously a scientist, mother, wife, and advocate for the benefits of radioactivity for research and medical treatment. Sarah Dry illuminates Curie’s personal and professional struggles: the demands of motherhood, the grief she suffered after the loss of her husband, the public scrutiny she faced, and the damaging effects of her exposure to radiation. The Curie that emerges is a remarkably resilient figure whose fortitude and scientific accomplishments make her an enduring source of inspiration.

Sarah Dry is a writer and historian of science. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she studied at Harvard University, Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge. She is the author of The Newton Papers: The Strange and True Odyssey of Isaac Newton’s Private Manuscripts (2014) and Waters of the World: The Story of the Scientists Who Unraveled the Mysteries of Our Oceans, Atmospheres and Ice Sheets—and Made the Planet Whole (2019). She is currently a trustee of The Oxford Trust.

Convened by Alex Aylward (University of Oxford), Erica Charters (Wolfson College), Hohee Cho (Wolfson College), Mark Harrison (Green Templeton College), Rob Iliffe (Linacre College), Catherine Jackson Harris Manchester College), and Sloan Mahone (University of Oxford)