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Marie Curie was a famous Polish scientist who is well-known for the work that she did with her husband, Pierre Curie, involving radioactivity. Curie also helped to discover two new elements - polonium and radium. Curie achieved many things in her life, both as a woman and as a scientist in general. She became the first person to receive two separate Nobel Prizes and was greatly admired by scientists around the world. There are several features of Curies' personality which helped her to be so successful.
From a young age, Curie believed very strongly in hard work. She was also very determined to overcome any obstacles that could prevent her from reaching her goals. Even though women were not supposed to study at universities in the 1880s in Poland, Curie found a way to attend a secret university known as the "Floating University" in Poland for several years. This eventually helped her to receive the qualifications necessary to study at a larger university in Paris. However, when she moved to Paris in 1891, she was extremely poor, which caused her to live in very difficult conditions. Her apartment was always cold, and she often had very little food. Even after her graduation, she had to work extra hours as a teacher to pay for her research on radioactivity. These experiments often left her feeling tired and sick. Nevertheless, Curie found success despite the challenges.
Another aspect of Curie's personality was her pride in her native country, Poland. She got this from her parents. Even though Curie spent the majority of her life in France and eventually married Pierre Curie, who was French, she never forgot her Polish identity. She taught her children Polish and encouraged them to love their Polish culture, too. Her love for Poland eventually led her to name one of the elements she discovered "polonium." It could be said that this love for her country may have also helped her succeed. As a Polish scientist, she wanted to achieve something that would help people to recognize Poland. Also, she wanted the people of POland to be proud of her achievements. Both of these things may have contributed to Curie working hard to reach her goals.