As one of history's most admirable women, Marie Curie took every challenge she encountered with poise and conquered it with vigor. She was quoted, "Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood" (qtd. in Glance). She, undoubtedly, followed that until her death in 1934. Suffering more hardships than the average person, Marie was still able to accomplish more than a lifetime of successes. Throughout her journey, Marie had several distinct phases: her strenuous and impressionable path into adulthood; her life as a mother, wife, and physicist; and the lasting impact of her discoveries on today's "physical" society.
             The single biggest advantage Marie had as a child was that she grew up in a family of teachers, and education was not hidden from her because she was a female, as was custom in the late 1800s. Her father, Wladyslaw Sklodowska, made it clear that only the very best was just good enough. It's possible that he had the greatest impact on Marie, teaching "his children to be curious" (Poynter 11).
             By the age of eleven, Marie had already experienced the tragic losses of her mother and sister. Her strong family ties forced her to take on extra responsibilities, therefore, lessoning her time for study. To make matters worse, during her grade school years, Poland was under Russian control, so Marie was forced to learn in Russian, instead of Polish. As if the language barrier wasn't a big enough challenge, Polish students were discriminated against by the Russian teachers. However, she graduated at the age of 16, ranking number one in her class of over a hundred (Glance).
             It was not until Marie was twenty-four that she could attend the university of her dreams, the Sorbonne. Once her sister had graduated from medical school and was married, Marie had the opportunity to move to Paris and devote herself to studying at the Sorbonne. But still, life w...