She was born Maria Skłodowska in 1867 in what is now Poland. At that time, Poland was under Russian rule, and there were few opportunities for women to receive a higher education.
Curie's parents encouraged her to pursue her education, and she eventually enrolled in the Sorbonne in Paris, where she studied physics and mathematics. She excelled in her studies and earned her doctorate in physics in 1903.
Curie's education was instrumental in her groundbreaking research in radioactivity and her eventual discovery of the elements polonium and radium. Her work paved the way for future advancements in physics and chemistry and made her one of the most famous and respected scientists in the world.