Marie Curie’s notebooks are still radioactive

I recently learned that some of Marie Curie’s notebooks are still radioactive. Researchers wishing to view them must sign a disclaimer.

Many people know that Marie Curie won a Nobel prize for her pioneering research on radioactivity. But perhaps it’s not so widely known that she won that illustrious prize twice and, altogether, Marie Curie’s family won 5 Nobel prizes. Not bad going! High achievers, indeed. My sympathy goes to any in her family that didn’t manage more than a 50 yard swimming certificate. The “catch up” talk at family reunions might be vaguely awkward.

To fill in the details – Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, sharing it with her husband (Pierre) for Physics in 1903 and then on her own for Chemistry in 1911. Their daughter, Irène Joliot-Curie, received the Chemistry Prize in 1935 together with her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie. I achieved 98% on my bicycle proficiency test when I was a child – I still feel a warming glow and have to suppress a slight smile if someone happens to mention it (sad, I know).