Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist whose groundbreaking research on radioactivity transformed the scientific world. Born in Warsaw, Poland, in 1867, she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and remains the only person to receive the award in two distinct scientific fields – Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911. Her discoveries of the radioactive elements polonium and radium, as well as her efforts in developing early applications of Xray technology, were revolutionary. Curie's work not only advanced science but also set an inspiring precedent for women in STEM fields, breaking barriers in a male dominated environment.