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Quiz: QUIZ: Techonomists of the Past

Question 3 of 10

What scientist was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes?

  1. Carl Sagan
  2. J. Robert Oppenheimer
  3. Jonas Salk
  4. Marie Curie
Correct!

Marie Curie was the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes, one in physics in 1903 and one in chemistry in 1911. A pioneer in the field of radioactivity and the first woman ever to hold a professorship at the University of Paris, she created the theory of radioactivity, as well as techniques for the isolation of radioactive isotopes. Sadly, since so little was known about it at the time, Curie took no safety precautions when handling radioactive materials, and her death from aplastic anemia is widely believed to be the result of ongoing exposure. To this day, her papers from the late 19th century, and even her cookbook, are considered too radioactive to touch, and are kept in boxes lined with lead to protect others from their harmful effects.

SOURCE: Nobel Prize Facts | NobelPrize.org

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