Marie Curie, born in Warsaw, Poland, was a pioneering scientist who fought against the Russian Empire’s control of a region in partitioned Poland in the nineteenth century. Her activism revolved around the development of radioactivity and her decision to leave Poland and move to France. Her family did not leave Poland, but Curie’s older sister left with her husband, and she continued to work in Poland to help.
Maria Curie chose Paris because she wanted to attend the great university there: the University of Paris — the Sorbonne. The family suffered under Russian rule, which aimed to eradicate the language, culture, and history of the Polish people. After graduating high school at the top of her class, Curie and her husband published a joint paper announcing the existence of an element they named “polonium” in honor of her native Poland.
The family’s economic situation deteriorated as women were not allowed to study at universities in the partitioned part of Poland occupied by the Russian Empire. To make ends meet, they had to take in student loans. In July 1898, Curie and her husband published a joint paper announcing the existence of an element they named “polonium” in honor of her native Poland.
In the early 1900s, physicians Marie Curie died in 1934, aged 66, at the Sancellemoz sanatorium in Passy, France, of aplastic anemia likely from exposure to radiation. She went back to Poland to spend her vacation with her family, but her decision to leave Poland marked a pivotal moment in modern science.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Why did Marie Curie and her family leave Poland? | In the partition of Poland occupied by the Russian Empire women were not allowed to study at the university. | quora.com |
| Marie Curie – Biographical | She became involved in a students’ revolutionary organization and found it prudent to leave Warsaw, then in the part of Poland dominated by Russia, for Cracow, … | nobelprize.org |
| Marie Curie | Marie Curie died in 1934, aged 66, at the Sancellemoz sanatorium in Passy (Haute-Savoie), France, of aplastic anaemia likely from exposure to radiation in the … | en.wikipedia.org |
📹 why are Polish people so obsessed with Marie Curie being Polish? (aka the Beetlejuice scandal)
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What Happened To The Curie Family?
Curium, element 96, is named after the renowned scientists Marie and Pierre Curie. The Curie family, notable for its scientific contributions, originated in France and Poland. Prominent members include Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Pierre Curie, their daughter Irène Joliot-Curie, and son-in-law Frédéric Joliot-Curie. After Pierre's untimely death at age 46 from an accident, Marie and other family members faced health issues likely from radiation exposure during their research.
Marie Curie, born in 1867 in Poland, abandoned her childhood religion after her sister succumbed to typhus. Despite financial struggles, the family persisted in science, with descendants continuing the legacy. Four family members received Nobel Prizes, an extraordinary feat in scientific history.
In 1898, Marie and Pierre discovered polonium and radium, winning the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 alongside Henri Becquerel for their work on radioactivity. Marie earned a second Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. Sadly, she passed away in 1934 from aplastic anemia, believed to be radiation-related. The family's scientific tradition remains vibrant; Hélène Langevin-Joliot, daughter of Irène and Frédéric, is a noted nuclear physicist.
After Pierre's fatal accident in 1906, Marie continued to advance their scientific endeavors, with Irène later leading the Radium Institute and achieving notable success in her own right. The legacy of the Curie family endures in the scientific community.
Where Did Marie Curie Grow Up?
Marie Curie, originally named Maria Skłodowska, was born on November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, within a police state under the Russian czar Alexander II. She was the youngest of five children in a family where both parents were educators; her father taught mathematics and physics while her mother served as headmistress at a prestigious girls' boarding school. Curie's early life was challenging, especially after her father lost his job, causing the family to struggle financially and take in borders.
Despite these hardships, Curie excelled academically, demonstrating remarkable intelligence from a young age. She attended local schools and clandestine institutions like the Flying University in Warsaw, where she pursued her passion for science. In 1891, she moved to Paris to study physics and mathematics at the Sorbonne, where her groundbreaking research would eventually lead her to become the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, and the only person to receive two Nobel Prizes in different scientific fields. Alongside her husband Pierre Curie, she discovered important elements like polonium and radium, solidifying her legacy in the scientific community. Marie Curie passed away on July 4, 1934.
Why Did Marie Curie'S Role Change In 1914?
In 1914, as Marie Curie began to lead a department at the Radium Institute, World War I erupted, prompting her to pause her research. Recognizing the critical need for medical support, she organized mobile X-ray machines, known as "Little Curies," to assist doctors on the front lines. This initiative aimed to help detect injuries by allowing doctors to visualize bullets and shrapnel, significantly improving treatment for wounded soldiers.
Curie, who had already made groundbreaking contributions to science—being the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1903 and a second in 1911 for her work in physics and chemistry—devoted her time and resources to the war effort alongside her daughter, Irène.
Their travels took them to battlefield hospitals where their mobile units were deployed. Curie's commitment to applying her scientific expertise for humanitarian efforts established her as a remarkable role model for women in academia. Her pioneering work not only transformed medical practices during wartime but also laid the groundwork for future developments in radioactivity and nuclear physics.
Ultimately, Marie Curie's relentless curiosity and dedication made her a pivotal figure in modern science, demonstrating how one individual's efforts can profoundly impact medicine and society at large.
Why Did Marie Curie Move To Paris?
Marie Curie, born Maria Skłodowska in Warsaw on November 7, 1867, graduated high school at 15 with top honors and later moved to Paris in 1891 to study at the Sorbonne. There, she aimed to advance her studies in physics, chemistry, and mathematics, enrolling in a challenging academic environment. Initially, Marie worked as a governess to support her studies and made a pact with her sister Bronya: she would fund Bronya's medical education in France, and in return, Bronya would help finance Marie's studies. Marie's determination led her to successfully pass her math exam in 1894, and she remained focused on her scientific career.
In 1894, she met Pierre Curie, then a professor at the School of Physics. The couple married in July 1895 and began collaborative research that resulted in significant discoveries, including polonium and radium. Their groundbreaking work on radioactivity earned them the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, marking a notable achievement for women in science. Marie Curie later won a second Nobel Prize in 1911 for her work in chemistry. Despite facing hardships, including financial struggles and the loss of her husband, Marie persevered and left an indelible mark in the field of science.
Why Did Marie Curie Return To Poland?
Maria Skłodowska-Curie, known as Marie Curie, maintained a lasting connection to Poland despite never returning permanently. Committed to an independent Polish state, she used subversive methods, exemplified by her discovery of polonium. Curie celebrated Poland's liberation in 1918 but passed away in 1934, shortly before the nation succumbed to invasions by Russia and Germany. Initially aiming to earn a teaching diploma in Poland, she stayed in France after meeting French scientist Pierre Curie.
Although she fantasized about returning to Poland for research, circumstances led her to prioritize Pierre's doctoral studies instead. She was born in Warsaw in 1867 and became a renowned physicist, known for her pioneering work on radioactivity. Despite facing barriers—such as being denied admission to Kraków University due to her gender—she persisted in her academic pursuits. In 1932, she returned for the Radium Institute's foundation ceremony, which her sister Bronislawa directed.
Curie’s life journey reflects her steadfast dedication to Poland and science. Her ashes were eventually interred in a mausoleum, honoring her significant impact on both nations. Marie Curie's legacy remains intertwined with her Polish heritage and her groundbreaking scientific contributions.
Why Did Marie Curie'S Father Lose His Savings?
Maria Sklodowska, born on November 7, 1867, into a family of Polish schoolteachers, faced significant hardships early in life. When her father, a mathematics and physics teacher, lost his savings due to a bad investment, the family struggled financially. To help, Maria took up work as a teacher and secretly participated in a nationalist "free university," reading in Polish to women workers. Despite her academic success, she could not attend the University of Warsaw due to her gender.
Working alongside her husband, Pierre Curie, she discovered polonium and radium in 1898, leading to their joint Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for their work on radioactivity. In 1911, she became the first woman to win a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry.
Maria's early life was marred by tragedy; her sister died of typhus, and her mother's death further impacted her family. Her father, now living on a meager pension after retirement, even had to rent out rooms in their small apartment to make ends meet. Throughout these challenges, Maria remained passionate about education and science. She financed her sister Bronisława's medical studies and cultivated a strong desire for knowledge and discovery, underscoring the emotional support her father provided despite financial turmoil.
Ultimately, her resilience and dedication paved the way for her remarkable scientific achievements, making her a pioneering figure in the realm of radioactivity and a role model for women in science.
Who Was Marie Curie?
Marie Curie, born Maria Sklodowska in Warsaw on November 7, 1867, was a groundbreaking physicist and chemist known for her pioneering research on radioactivity. Alongside her husband, Pierre Curie, she discovered the elements polonium and radium, contributing immensely to the field of science. Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize and the only person to win Nobel honors in two scientific fields, winning in Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911.
Her relentless resolve and curiosity positioned her as an enduring icon in modern science, inspiring generations of female scientists. Curie's work was not only vital in the study of radioactive substances but also had significant medical applications, aiding in the development of cancer treatments through the use of x-rays. Throughout her career, Curie faced and broke many gender barriers, earning her a unique place in history. She became a member of the Academy of Medicine in 1922 and remained dedicated to her research until her death on July 4, 1934.
Her legacy endures, symbolizing determination and innovation in science and serving as a source of inspiration for future generations. Marie Curie's contributions have left an indelible mark on both physics and chemistry, acknowledging her as one of the most significant scientists in history.
Why Did People Leave Poland In 1913?
At the turn of the 20th century, Polish immigration surged due to factors like imperial repression, land shortages, and chronic unemployment. As the 19th century ended, thousands of Poles left Europe for America, driven by a desire for better opportunities. The situation was especially dire in the Russian Partition, where economic turmoil and poor living conditions exacerbated the hardships faced by Poles.
With ongoing religious and cultural persecution, many sought refuge abroad, marking the beginning of significant emigration. By 1900, more Polish emigrants from Russian and Austrian territories outnumbered those from Prussia, reflecting the urgency for a change.
Many left to escape religious persecution, ethnic tensions, and conscription into the Russian army. The Prussian expulsions further contributed to this wave of migration. While millions suffered during World War II, prompting further emigration, Polish Americans at Ellis Island extended support to new arrivals. Between 1795 and 1918, Poland was partitioned among Prussia, Austria, and Russia, resulting in its absence from the map.
This historical context, compounded by a belief that America offered greater prospects, inspired around 2. 5 million Poles to emigrate before 1914, reshaping their fortunes and cultural identity in the process.
What Happened To Marie Curie In 1914?
In October 1914, Marie Curie and her daughter, Irène, ventured into a war-torn area of France in a makeshift van, surrounded by soldiers, medics, and the wounded. As World War I erupted, Curie redirected her efforts towards supporting the war effort, particularly through the introduction of portable X-ray machines. These mobile units, known as "Petits Curies," were designed and built at her Radium Institute, enabling medical personnel to X-ray injured soldiers near the front lines, thus identifying bullets and shrapnel within their bodies.
Despite the known dangers of radiation, she and Irène worked tirelessly at casualty clearing stations to assist the injured. Curie's commitment to the cause led her to temporarily halt her research and focus on the development of these vital medical resources. Her extensive efforts earned her a place in history, highlighting her dual legacy of groundbreaking scientific achievements and humanitarian service during wartime.
Curie's journey was marked by immense dedication, culminating in a life that intertwined scientific discovery with the noble pursuit of aiding those in need, even at great personal risk. Thus, her profound impact on medicine and her service during WWI remain pivotal chapters of her remarkable story.
📹 How Poland Shaped Maria Skłodowska-Curie (& How She Shaped Poland)
Maria Skłodowska-Curie ‒ she used both names ‒ was born in the 19th century in a Poland which didn’t exist, as at that time it …
As an Indian, I am pleased to say we learnt she was Polish in our school! I cannot imagine how outraged we would be if the English claimed our mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan because he spent his major working years there. His heart was always back home. Also the number of people who pronounce his name wrong… -_-
In Ukraine, when we learn about her at school, we learn her name as Marie Sklodowska-Curie. And every time she comes up, I pronounce her name exactly like that in English, and usually get a lot of questions from foreigners. I don’t mind explaining. As someone from a culture that has been oppressed for centuries, I can completely understand why Polish people are pissed. I am pissed when every Ukrainian artist, writer, scientist is called russian.
Names are important and so is heritage! My grandma is indigenous Okinawan (Uchinaanchu), and she remembers how horrible it was being a civilian there during WWII and the horrible things that the Japanese did. When I was really little, she told me, “Never let anyone call you Japanese. You are Okinawan.” I feel tremendous pride in my heritage, and I can only imagine how that would be amplified by growing up there like Marie did in Poland.
That really hit home. I’m Bosnian but was born and raised in Switzerland. Growing up, I had a Bosnian accent and was ‘othered’ by some Swiss people—some even tried to convert me to Christianity, though I was raised Muslim (I’m not religious anymore). Now, as an adult, those same people call me ‘Swiss’ because of my success and loss of accent. I tell them I’m proud to be Swiss but also proud of my Bosnian roots. When they insist I’m 100% Swiss, I remind them I can never be, and I honor my family’s survival of the Srebrenica massacre.
I completely understand and relate to the anger from Poles in this situation. It’s so frustrating when the only representation the world has of you is a gross stereotype, and then when you do have a positive figure from your country/culture, that figure is ignored or represented inaccurately. I’m Colombian, and I can tell you how much relief I felt when Encanto came out. For once, we were not represented as savage criminals, cartels, or only briefly mentioned in reference to coffee or cocaine. Yet, still, media cannot seem to understand it is spelt Colombia and not “Columbia,” but at least Encanto was some improvement. So, no, this is not an overreaction. The Poles deserve accurate representation. We will not tolerate the erasure of Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s Polish identity.
It really touched me when you mentioned polish “scientists who never where” so to say. My grandma was a very talented person with an extraordinary analytical mind. Despite missing out on half of her education due to WWII she graduated high school with perfect scores, aced uni entry exam and was about to study chemistry in Poznań. It was her great passion. Tragically, that June bloody riots took place in Poznań and her parents strongly persuaded her away from higher education. She ended up working as an accountant in a huge factory, and was able to do complex calculations in a blink of an eye. Sadly she suffered an abusive marriage which broke her spirit quite a bit. I always wondered who would she be if communists didn’t shoot that June in Poznań.
I’m not Polish and I also think that Maria being Polish is common knowledge. I was so suprised when I saw the movie. Its also a very easily fact that can be checked on a 2 min Google search, so it getting to the final cut of the movie is suprising, and worrying. This is how easily misinformation can spread.
My partner’s Dutch and he just doesn’t get why it’s so important for me to be very clear I am Latvian and not Dutch (when we travel, people ask where we’re from and he’d just say the Netherlands because it’s easier even though I have never been there and we live in Latvia). The rest of the world doesn’t understand what it means for someone to try to erase your country, your traditions, your language – the flag was even illegal! Proud of Polish people holding their ground, you inspire us to stand ours too.
Fundamentally it’s about respecting Marie Skłodowska-Curie as a woman. She CHOSE to hyphenate her name, and to ignore that is sexist and anti-feminist, and a disservice to her memory. I think a lot of it is also tied to the disrespect to slavic languages/last names, where people dont even want to bother to pronounce them, so it’s easier to phase it out. Infuriating.
I honestly didn’t even know Marie Skłodowska-Curie was Polish until she came up in conversation with me and my Polish partner recently, and I was confused at hearing her name hyphenated because I’d literally never heard it any way other than “Marie Crurie” before— it is a failure of education! Thank you for making this article with more information, I like trying to learn as much as I can about my partner’s culture, and it’s really important we don’t let it be forgotten. Hopefully it will help other people become more informed too! 🙂
Czech neighbour here. I see your point so much. We share similar historical cultural aspects, such as oppression of big nations (such as Russia) and we Czechs are also sensitive about other people not knowing that things or people are “ours”. In school they teach us to pride ourselves over our inventors such as Mendel (genetic laws), Wichterle (contact lenses), Holý (research important for HIV therapy)… or artists (Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček, Mucha, Kafka, Forman, Kundera…) or sportsman (Zátopek, Navrátilová, Jágr…) or politicians (Havel). Or the fact, that the all-world known word “robot” was also invented and firstly used in Czech literature by brothers Josef and Karel Čapek. Similar situation as you describe with Marie Curie Sklodowska (which we Czechs usually know was Polish, because we are so close to you :)), we experience with Kafka, Mendel, Mahler, Rilke, Freud, Porsche or others who are usually considered to be German or Austrian because we were historically part of the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy and the German influence is also very present in our colloquial language. Thank you for the article, it could be enlightening to the people across the seas. 🙂
The disrespect to Polish language is so real. I’m having a dinner for Kazimierz Pułaski Memorial Day this Friday and you would think I was spitting in people’s faces the way they react to me bothering to pronounce his name instead of saying Casimir Pulaski. Like babes, we’re literally celebrating this Polish man??? You’re gonna hear some Polish words.
I’m Brazilian and had a presentation on Maria in high school. The way I explained to my classmates why its important to pronounce her name right was a careful mix of “mispronouncing stuff because you’re lazy is USA behavior” and “remember when foreigners kept calling Giselle Bündchen ‘gissel’? Or when they say coxinha like coccyx-in-hah?”. It worked perfectly. The last straw was saying “imagine if people finally accept that Santos Dumont invented the airplane but everyone starts calling him only by Dumont and claiming he was french” which caused a surge of patriotic rage usually reserved for the World Cup or the Olympics
To be honest, it’s not only about Maria Skłodowska being Polish. It’s about her agency as a woman. Why are we insisting on using her husband’s name? She kept her last name, because she wanted people to know it. And she wanted to keep her identity and agency through that. I remember that she even wanted to keep that name for people to know that she is Polish. Even if she wasn’t one of the most successful women in history, why are we taking this agency from her?
Bruh. It took your article for me to make the connection between Maria naming Polonium and Poland. Everything you said really highlights how much Maria loved her homeland and valued her Polish identity. As an aside, it’s cool that Pierre was willing to move to Poland with her and get another job. We love a good power couple.
Firstly it is extremely funny when someone call woman feminist icon but at the same time use only surename and nationality of her husband lol. When she herself wanted to have double surename on her second Noble prize. Well that’s what happened when ignorant people try to flex knowledge. It becomes good joke.
LOUDER! I haaaate how slavic people (especially women) from countries that were opressed literally for hundreds of years are treated as if they didnt exist or as if their achievments happened just because the “amazing” west helped them. While studying in the uk I was shocked how ignorant people are towards slavs – from not even trying to pronounce my surname to teachers saying genuinely crazy misinformation about my country to my face. And dont even let me started on the representation in western media – either weird old grandma, whore with “seductive” body or mentally ill girl that weights like 15kg 🙃we will never be free
To put it in some perspective how much Polish people actually care and know about Maria – I literally had a book, aimed for children, entirely about her life and achievements. I got it when I was like, 9 years old – And I loved that book. I read it several times. Similar with Fryderyk Chopin. When I was older and realised people treat these two as if they were French, I was flabbergasted.
As a Lithuanian studying in Spain, I cant imagine that only if I married a Spaniard and won nobel prizes, to be called Spanish. Its bizarre. Marie was born in Poland to Polish parents, spoke Polish, said she was Polish and visited it often – how the hell is she French? Poland should be proud and keep loud about their genius scientist. Marie must be rolling in her grave from this nonsense.
French person here. Thank you for this article. I kinda knew before, very vaguely, that Marie Skłodowska Curie remained attached to her Polish origins her entire life. But now I understand it way more clearly. It’s very significant that she kept her first surname when she married. We never hear that name when we mention her in France, we call her “Marie Curie” and nothing else. We also usually say she’s French, or French and Polish. I definitely understand that Poles are mad about this mistake. It’s disrespectful to her and the entire Polish people.
You know what annoys me the most? It’s when American films/tv shows portray her with a very thick French accent. Just no. And i say it as a fellow Varsavian who’s been living/working in France and Belgium half of my life. I also have an issue with ppl calling Chopin French but that’s a rant for another day. BTW the tenement house she was born in (in Warsaw’s New Town district) hosts a museum that has been recently renovated. Not a lot of her Warsaw stuff survived our tumultuous history but i still recommend a visit.
Here in Chicago we have a Marie Sklodowska Curie High School. Does it use the French version of her first name? Yes. Is it often just called “Curie HS?” Also yes. But using her maiden name at all is wayyyyy more respect to her Polish identity than is usually paid in the US where she’s mostly just known as “French science woman.”
Its like when Tyra Banks kept expressing that Katarzyna Dolinska’s name was difficult to say on cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model, even though she repeated it every…single…week…and Tyra would either joke about it or give up on it. Like girl. Then her modeling agency just shortened it to “Kat Doll”. Price is Right sad theme
It’s so crazy how people want to erase her being Polish so much when she worked so hard to preserve it. And also, people’s reasonings are so dumb. Imagine using all of those reasonings for Jose Rizal (who btw, I just realized that they would’ve been contemporaries), and say that he can’t be Filipino ’cause he studied and worked in Europe 😭 A lot of Maria’s behavior when she was studying in France reminds me so much of how Rizal was in Europe too. He kept close to other Filipinos and kept missing home so much and wanted to go back home and make the country better. (Sorry can’t help but compare since I had Rizal studies last semester) Colonizers are so damn weird.
My great grandfather left Chełm to “escape the Russians” I never gave it much thought until I looked into what was going on there at the time. He married another Polish immigrant and lived in a Polish speaking area (Hamtramck, Michigan). My mom wasn’t allowed to learn Polish because the pressure to assimilate was huge in the 50s. My mom still is sad she was never able to learn it.
I love this article! I am from Germany, so as neighbouring country, we always were taught that Marie Curie was actually from Poland, but the fact about naming the first element she discovered Polonium really brings it home! I never thought about that, even though my husband is a chemist, and we used to have the periodic table of elements as a shower curtain.
as an Ukrainian I absolutely get it. not being a “big european nation” is hard, for some reason everyone will call your famous people any other nation except for what they really are… sometimes it can be hard, but not in situations when they obviously state who they are like Marie did. it’s very important to talk about, we all need our famous people to feel better about being ourselves
Karolina, from a bottom of my heart I thank you for making this informative and inspiring article about our country’s iconic heroine. Despite Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s scientific achievements being unmatched to this day, as Polish we still need to fight for her name and nationality to be recognised worldwide! In your article you put out some valuable (and also relatable) points about a meaning of one’s self-identify abroad in a reality of constantly having their names mispronounced and personal details dismissed, which often seem to come not only from a place of ignorance but rather from a feeling of superiority. For all the above reasons, I honestly would like to see your article being used in schools and universities around the world ❤
Hi ! I’m french with polish roots (my great grand mother’s name was Irena Brzezińska, she arrived in France during the 30’s). I’m very proud of this heritage and I’m trying to learn polish. Thanks for your content, it helps me to understand a missing part of myself ❤ The erasure of Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s identity is very problematic for polish culture and history. Also, misogyny is a big part of the problem imo. Sorry for my poor english and thanks a lot for your work ❤❤
Maria was 24 years old when she left. She was better educated than many of her French colleagues at university. They act as if France gave her all the knowledge. A silly Polish woman came and it was the French who enlightened her. Aleksander Wolszczan discovered the first extrasolar system and did not receive the Nobel Prize. In 2019, two Swiss men were awarded for discovering extrasolar planets…This is another example of our history being erased, distorted and ridiculed. For example, jokes about Poles in the USA. There is a book called Hollywood’s War with Poland. How Poles were made into the worst scum because the Americans didn’t like the fact that their ally (Russia) cooperated with the Germans. During the war, propaganda bits were played before every film and the victim was turned into someone who was not worth feeling sorry for.
As a Ukrainian, I am always amazed at how similar many historical beats of our countries are. Just in this article, I know this so well: trying to uphold national identity under occupation, being a complete menace to the occupiers, fighting attempts to erase our culture, triple all of this if russians are involved, and subsequently explaining to the whole world that yes, this historical figure was, in fact, one of our people.
As a Ukrainian, it’s so relatable, Russian Empire fucked up our culture, too. When you culture is erased for centuries and now when we are trying to restore it and someone calls a prominent Ukrainian — Russian, my blood starts boiling and a lot of people abroad are just like “you are overreacting”. so I totally get it why Polish people are pissed off in this situation. Thank you for the article!
Pronunciation guide for Engish speakers: “MAR-ee-ah skwo-DOFF-skah Kew-REE” Easy! Thank you Karolina for this instructive and hopeful article… though Poland was occupied and erased the Polish peoples spirit was never broken. May all occupied peoples gain total freedom in their lands. 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
Immigrant perspective. I’m Polish woman living in Norway- I’m not fluent in Norwegian and I speak with a heavy accent. Few weeks ago during my eye check, I have very honest talk (fyi. in English) with the optician- he said to me that for me, a Slavic person would be better to talk in English with Norwegians, because I don’t have any specific accent in English, a bit American but defiantly not Eastern-European- so Norwegians won’t be biased towards me. Only if I master Norwegian at a native speaker level then maybe I’ll be treated better and by better I mean equal, but still my Polish last name would show my ethnicity and for example you have to put your full name on your mailbox. The other issue that is very upsetting for me is how local peole objective women from countries like mine- age gap is a big issue for me and some many times I’ve been approached by a man twice my age. I think that’s disgusting predatory behavior
Thank you for this article, Karolina! It was so refreshing to hear this perspective from someone else. In a Ukrainian school we were taught her story and it was incredibly inspiring to me. We have the same approach to treating our authors and scientists, who’s achievements are more often then not attributed to other cultures. It’s so common for me to have to explain that a particular famous person is in fact Ukrainian and that our culture did in fact have a significant impact on the world. I subscribed for the fashion content, but would greatly appreciate such articles too! Experiencing similar feelings as Maria currently studying abroad and will definitely read the autobiography. Thanks for the lead 🙂
It is supremely disappointing that a movie as popular as the new Beetlejuice is maintaining such a lie. At best they were ignorant, at worst they didn’t care. It’s right there on her Wikipedia page ffs. They couldn’t google it to double-check? Maria Skłodowska-Curie became French, but she was Polish first and foremost and always. As someone from another country that is often overlooked and achievements not always recognised, the anger is extremely valid, especially given Poland’s history of oppression. Put some fucking respect on her name 🇵🇱
This is important because there are probably a lot of people who genuinely don’t know she’s Polish because of all this erasure. This comment section made me realise we have a slightly more lighthearted version of this in Scotland with Andy Murray, the Scottish tennis player – except for when he wins Wimbledon at which point he magically becomes Andy Murray, the British tennis player….
If that’s any consolation, here in Ukraine we very much know that Marie Skłodowska-Kurie was Polish! I think I learned that at my school chemistry lessons. Reclaiming historical figures who happened to live during an occupation of your country is a bitch, and it is absolutely a big deal. You are absolutely right about that.
I live in Brazil and here we learn about Marie and her husbands life stories (both in history and chemistry class). And although they are basically talked about together and he is French, everybody here knows that SHE is polish. Also, don’t people know that POLONIUM is named after her BECAUSE she is from Poland????? Edit 2: I also would like to add that it’s very weird to Americans die on the hill that she is French since she moved there, because Americans are THE FIRST ones to label peoples ethnicities even though their families lived in the US for generations!! Like, your grandparents are Italian? So people will say your Italian. Your dad is Mexican? So you are Hispanic. Literally the country that labels people the most unless they are Anglo-Saxon. But somehow the moment Marie curie goes to Sorbonne she is not an immigrant anymore she is just French (according to them). Make it make sense!!!
As a French I often saw the name Marie Curie (as name of schools or streets mainly) and until I was 25 I think, maybe more, I thought she was French. Because she had a french name. So yeah, they should use her real, polish name. Or her polish and french name. I mean at worst we butcher her name when we try to pronounce it cause we suck at langage (from lack of trying i think) but at least we know she isn’t French.
ETA: I’m leaving my error in place. I referred to her as Marie Curie because the fact that Maria Skłodowska kept her Polish name was not mentioned in any of the books that I read about her while I was in school. I just learned that with this article. Thank you, Karolina for teaching me more about my childhood hero. ** 60 year old US citizen, Polish immigrant grandparents, grew up hearing Polish in the house. I was obsessed with Marie Curie. I read everything in our school library, science books, and public library about her. Any chance I had, I’d write book reports on her. I love her. I’ve always thought that her husband would be nothing without her.
As a French girl who went to a kindergarten named Marie Curie, I started the article thinking: “Why is it bad to say that she is French? She had the French nationality!” But this article made me change my mind. Let me first explain the French perspective: for French people, it is very racist to call someone who has French citizenship after their origins. That’s why, for example, TV presenter Trevor Noah received a complaint letter from our ambassador, when he said that Africa had won the football world cup in 2018, showing a photo of the French team. However, your article helped me realize some things. The fact that Marie Curie chose to call her first element polonium. The fact that she chose to keep her maiden name. WHY do we call her Marie Curie when her real name is Maria Skłodowska-Curie? You’re right, it’s because it’s easier for us, and because we like to think that great historical people were French (after all, the first woman to join the Pantheon was Josephine Baker, a born and raised american lol) So when we talk about Maria Skłodowska-Curie, it’s not right to say she was French (tho she was, she had citizenship), without saying also that she was Polish, because she is far more Polish, and it was a core part of her identity it seems.
Hear, hear! I’m going to share this on my LinkedIn, my Polishness is wounded every time I hear people calling her French. Sure, I’m Polish American now but I spent the first 34 years of my life in Poland with small breaks, and if someone just called me “American”, I wouldn’t be happy… Thank you for summing it all up so well! Also, on a side note, two years ago I downloaded June’s Journey from your affiliated link because I wanted to support the website. But then I started to play and today I have an elite Orchid Society status and a LOT of money spent on the game 😂. I really recommend it!
I’m not even REMOTELY Polish (Australian of Irish/English/French descent) and the fact that people CONSTANTLY refer to Maria as French drives me up the wall. It’s disrepespectful both to her nationality and the woman herself, because they’re 1: erasing her Polish heritage, something she herself tried to prevent, and 2: are misogynistically viewing her by her husband’s nationality, when as far as I can tell he did absolutely nothing of longstanding note besides marry and assist this queen of a woman. It should frankly be the other way around. Pierre (I had to look him up) should be known as Piotr Skłodowska. This is an excellent article (like, as usual, but like, it’s an important topic related to Maria Skłodowska), thank you for making it. It’s hopefully going to go on to educate people.
As Ukrainian..omg we hear this so often ‘why is it so important to announce where actor, scientist, musician was born, got educated, matured. Why is it so important what language they used as native and what land they called Motherland? So what if it was Ukraine? But as long as they worked in Moscow (and of course in order to get resources you move to metropoly) – boom, they are Russian’ But at the same time when country of origin is changed in museum for example they get so offended, so it IS important. And the most hurtful is to hear them asking question I saw in this comments – ‘but where are your modern prominent scientists, musicians, actors?’..and the answer is eulogy from frontline, our brightest are erased again lije it was 100 years ago. And in 100 years they will come and say that our culture is so poor that we didn’t manage to produce anything significant
It is all so true, and then you also have this undertones of sexism. Denying a women her own, choosen identity because she got married is so sad and in this day and age we should know better. She was born and raised polish, she felt polish, but the day a women marries she looses all of her identity. She is striped of her name and nationality. And even if she reclaims that by using ger own name, she can never escape people who will try and do anything they can to deny her that agency.
France was literally the last country that noticed and honored Pierre and Maria. They worked in old shed which was very cold during winter and very hot during summer. Maria extracted radium from 20 tons of pitchblende just to show all people who have doubts in her research that it exists. Even after winning Noble they didn’t receive proper laboratory. Maria got the laboratory after the war and she was even fighting for it to be big to serve for years. Pierre died in accident in 1906 and he has never seen his dream laboratory. They accepted Maria into Science Academy only bcs the Medical Academy accepted her first. During war she was driving one of the “Little Curie” cars with roentgen apparatus inside to help curing wounded soliders. Calling her french when France didn’t really care about her and Pierre is next level of absurd.
My (many greats) grandfather left Poland during Russian occupation and came to America. We have documentation that his last name was taken down incorrectly, but no source of what his original name was. I can’t imagine starting over a brand new life in a brand new country with a name that’s not even yours. It makes me mourn for a cultural connection I can’t even really claim. I’m glad Marie Skłodowska-Curie was able to pass on her heritage to her children and keep that culture alive during such a dark time. Fabulous article Karolina 🤍
I think this sentiment is shared amongst most post soviet countries. We all have a difficult relationship of cultural erasure, and in a lot of cases even before the 20th century. For example the “great soviet era movie director” Sergei Eisenstein who made the movie “Battleship Potemkin”. Well, he wasnt russian and it irks me he is, like so many others, referred as such. He was latvian, his interest of directing and montage began in Latvia. He worked in the soviet movie industry because latvian movie industry didnt exsist anymore bcs occupation. Doesnt make him less latvian. He aint just Сергей Эйзенштейн, he is Sergejs Eizenšteins.
When you emigrate as a child, at 11, you’re bullied, your name is not once pronounced correctly by teachers who mock your accent (Noone ever asked…). You want to belong, so you reject your first language, say hurtful things to your parents, dismiss your familys culture and are ashamed of were you come from. You’re very fearful and anxious and try very hard to bury your national identity. Then you grow up, overcome difficulties, gain a liiiitle bit of your completely destroyed self-confidence and self-trust bit by bit. Much slower than your peers. Then at 30 (literally the same week), you lose your last grandparent and with that the old family home in the old country that has ALWAYS been there and were you made the most warm, safest memories of your family being complete gets sold. You always had a safe and familiar place to go to when visiting. Now you’re a stranger in your hometown and have to book a hotel there. I am re-discovering Polish history now as an adult and what annoyed me as hell as a grumpy, miserable immigrant kid, now makes my mind blown and my heart so proud. I introduce myself as Polish and German now loud and proud. I stress that I am fluent in four languages. I can speak Polish with my international and Polish colleagues. There is RESPECT. I sure will be the mom cooking Polish food and telling them Polish tales whenever I have kids someday. I guess the difference to emigrating as an adult is that your identity is already developed and noone can take that from you.
When I was 10-years old I read a biography of Marie Curie and thought she was awesome. I didn’t understand international politics, but I knew she grew up in Poland, moved to France and became famous. At about that time (this was over 50 years ago) I had a teacher who asked the class, “Can you name a famous French scientist?” I said “Marie Curie” and the teacher went pretty ballistic (she was expecting Louis Pasteur). “Marie Curie is Polish! Polish! Polish!” I was a little kid and really didn’t see the distinction.
It reminds me of the quote of Uzoamaka Aduba: “If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Uzoamaka.” So in this case… “If they can learn to say Tchaikovsky and Michelangelo and Dostoyevsky, they can learn to say Maria Skłodowska-Curie.” I am happy to say that in the Netherlands – or at least at my school – we learned that she was Polish and married a Frenchman. Edit: I’m almost now doubting if I wanna learn Polish, but I’m already working on German and Romanian, so maybe adding a third one is a bit much for now 😡
16:39 Naww I know this one is about Poland, but even as a non-Polish Eastern European I’m so tired of this. You shouldn’t have to explain all this to prove that erasing the identity of an important Polish figure is wrong. Sometimes I feel like you can’t just talk about cultural erasure and appropriation, the theft of cultural artifacts, the sociopolitical effects of conflicts and generational traumas still affecting people to this day (as well as Western Europe’s prejudice towards Eastern Europeans and especially Slavic people) without also having to justify speaking up about it in the first place- and even then, in my experience you’ll still end up being met with weird hostility by at least one person like 8 times out of 10. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to share my perspective on something that actually concerns my culture and there’s nuance missing from the conversation, only to get hit with the “uhm sis, white people aren’t oppressed lmao” or the “and why should we care about your problems?” dismissal. Like I’m not trying to compete with anybody! I’m not taking away anything from anybody by sharing my perspective in appropriate spaces. I’m not forcing anybody to hear me out if they don’t want to. My experience on the internet has taught me that discussions of cultural erasure, theft, appropriation and ethical casting are important to have- up until the moment you are not having them from an American perspective (and ofc, I have seen non-American POC get the worst of this).
Last part made me think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs – you dont go and do great things, invent stuff, create amazing objects – when your trying to survive. I learned about her polish education from a book I got as a child, it was an illustrated kids biography of her and it talked about her upbringing, her relationship with her sister and the flying university and put emphasis on her love for Poland, her name, all that. Thank you for putting it all into context <3 Nice that they at least put it on her grave even if its the wrong way round :/ I always felt some sort of connection (maybe because we share a first name) and it was one of the few places I wanted to visit when I got to Paris.
As an American scientist with Polish and German roots bc of the occupation issues, I am fascinated by this article. I learned so much!! My maiden name is German but my dad’s grandma (not sure which side of the family) moved from Poland to live with him when he was a child in the 50s and she only spoke Polish. He knew it as a kid to talk to her. Without knowing my family’s history, as a tween I was obsessed with Maria Sklodowska Curie as a kid. She inspired me to love science and I’m now in the field as a medical lab scientist in the chemistry department. I’ll never forget the diorama I made for her in upper elementary and being amazed by a woman in science. She’s forever my favourite! 💙
I feel very connected to polish history and crisis of identity as a Qazaq person from Kazakhstan, a country also occupied by russia for a very, very long time. We share similar struggles and pain so I’m kinda proud you care so much about your country to make such an impotant article lol. It really sucks and feels disrespectful when privileged western folks dont even try with slightly different words/names and ignore our true heritage. Thank you!
I have Polish heritage (American, with immigrants a few gens back) and doing Ancestry years ago really drove home for me the history of colonization. Being born in the same city for a few generations would have three different countries listed. I really wish I knew more about that side of me (although, the music and the language coming out at a funeral when I was a teen was FANTASTIC) and I cannot pronounce the names right… But it’s important to me with my white American middle class privilege to learn to pronounce any non-English names as close to correctly as I can (auditory processing issues don’t help) and I’m so grateful for this article and the rundown. I was taught NONE of this when we learned about her in school, except maybe a side “actually, she was born Polish.”
I have some Polish in me from my Mom’s side of the family and they owned farms until an opportunity gave way to immigrate to the USA. That was so they could also attend school. Most of them were wanting to attend a university without getting into trouble. Its good that you called her by her full name. Long may her be remembered as a Polish person.
Hi, I’m Czech, so being from a neighbouring country we were thought her name properly, however for some reason the name is reversed in Czech (Curie-Skłodowska). 🤔And of course we learned, she was Polish. This was in the 90’s and 00’s, so I hope the kids are learning it today too, though. I totally get the frustration over misspronunciation of names. I understand Dvořák, nobody knows what that weird thing over the R is, but Alfons Mucha? I have sort of given up on teaching foreigners (save Slovaks and Poles) my very Czech name. 😂
As we are talking about Poland: the code breakers that broke Enigma were Polish not British. Basically by Marjan Rejewsky. The Polish give the first machines used to do it to the British because they were expecting to be invaded. The people of Bletchley Park like Allan Turing improved very much upon it. But as British law maintains state secrets secret for an absurd amount of time (as all those discoveries would be militarily important 60 years after that) the finer details were only revealed much later. PS: I am not dismissing Turing role in any way he is a personal hero of mine some of the few people we can say are bigger than life.
Polish names aren’t difficult, nor are English names easy. They’re just foreign to each other. As a common person you don’t have to master the pronunciations of names in all languages there are but if you’re a journalist, making a documentary about someone or doing anything else that has someone mentioned that is displayed publicly, it’s ridiculous that you wouldn’t take two minutes of your time googling how to say their name
As a puerto rican person who feels like I have to dig and dig around to unearth my history and representation throughout the world’s history: mad respect to this article. I’m glad it exists; I hope word gets out. Cause it totally is a big deal. She fought to keep that identity and i think that’s something that should be honored and respected❤
I’m a French woman interested in women in the history of science. I completely agree with what the article says. I’d just like to add one more reason why the French consider her to be French, too. In France, we don’t necessarily see (French) nationality as necessarily linked to a person’s origin and culture, but also to the choice that person makes (I don’t know at the time but even if marriage gives you the right to become French, you have to apply for it). Secondly, French-style universalism tends to erase people’s ethnic and cultural origins. You can see this with many of the footballers in the French national team. Even so, we’re still racist, so it’s easier for white, successful people… And Marie Skłodowska-Curie received her fair share of racism during her lifetime from the French. But even in France, people are starting to highlight her Polish origins and her attachment to Poland.
I would maybe understand the need to argue about her identity if she moved to France whilst still a kid and was just born in Poland but grew up in France, but if she moved to France as a full grown adult with a full developed identity as a person then I literally can’t understand why on Earth people even try to tell she ain’t polish. This is insane.
I noticed that Poles have their identity erased, notoriously by some folks who believe only Jewish people suffered in the WWII and as if there weren’t Romani people, Poles, Russians etc. Also there is a hate campaign against Poland, because Poland is more conservative than the rest of Europe (as a feminist, I don’t say it’s a good thing, though). E.g. as a Rush fan, I have the same issue with Geddy Lee from the Canadian progressive rock band – RUSH (a guy of Polish descent and Jewish religion) badmouthing Poland on the pages 45, 46, 73, 80 of My Effin’ Life, Geddy’s autobiography from November 2023. Shame. I wanted to see this prog rock band in Poland. And Geddy Lee meanwhile had to generalize against the whole Polish population as “antisemitic”, because of his family’s bias. And of course, the mainstream media wants to tell us – Poles that we never contributed to anything, science-wise.
Thank you very much for this article. As a Ukrainian, I felt such a familiar feeling. This is not the first time that such situations have happened to our historical figures, and they have chosen the perfect arshumets to explain to the natives why this is not right. It is only worse when historical figures from your city who spoke your language and were proud Ukrainians are attributed to your colonizer only because this historical figure was born when your country was occupied by the Russian Empire, aka Zinaida Serebryakova, Ilya Ripin, Malevich and so on.
Thank you for the education. I actually thought that Marie Curie was French. And I had no idea that Poland was so oppressed for so long. And why they hate Russians so much. My son served in Poland for a year and fell in love with the country and the people. He was sent all over Eastern Europe but loved Poland the most ❤
At the same time, they never do it to Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin. But she was a British scientist (and first tenured female astrophysicist at Harvard) who merely married a Russian, so they keep her name hyphenated, or even refer to her only by her English maiden name. So yeah, it’s not only sexist, but it is post-colonial and chauvinistic as well.
To answer a question in the title: for the same reason I as Ukrainian clench my teeth whenever “Shchedryk” (“Carol of the bells”) melody is used somewhere and Mykola Leontovych is not credited. When someone or something is a part of a particular nation and it’s history and culture, it should be vocalised as such
I moved to the UK from Poland at 21. I’m 38 now, still living in the UK, married to an Englishman. When I first came here, I was genuinely shocked to learn that I was from Eastern Europe. I was routinely patronised by people with no general knowledge who assumed that my eduction must have been even poorer than theirs, on the account of me being from “a shit country”. I can only imagine how Maria was being treated. I blended in pretty well – I passed as an English person most of the time (got to hear some well racist stuff about my Polish colleagues from clients), and honestly, I do feel at home in the Uk (well, London specifically). Having said that, when people say “you’re basically British” I feel a giant surge of anger. No sir, I am not. For starters, the first 20 years of my life were, of course, hugely formative, culture, history, yada, yada, yada, but… I started being “basically British” to people when I started doing very well. Before that, I was some blonde girl from Eastern Europe who made your coffee. Nope, still Polish. Thanks for the article, great as usual!
I went to Poland with my parents this summer (my sister actually think she saw you while we were eating out at a restaurant XD ) and I was actualy surprised when we got to Warsaw and saw there was a museum about her here, because… I literally had no idea all this time she was Polish??? (and I’m french) Overall my travel across several Polish cities was eye-opening, because we actually know so little about the country (and some famous people from here) it’s disheartening. I think there’s definitely a problem when you remember some famous people like Maria or Chopin being from a different nationality :/ (because that’s how we were taught) and basically know nothing about Poland above ww2 when it’s actually a country with such a huge and interesting (but sad) history
regarding Polish names being butchered by English speakers: My great grandfather’s last name was Kaczor, but when he came to Canada it was changed to Katcher😂 I don’t know if he chose to Anglicize it, but I do know his immigration papers had his original Polish name. He ended up settling in Manitoba, Canada.
I recall perusal Sabrina the teenage Witch when I was a teen 20 years back and Marie appeared during a time travel episode. Her French accent made my dad, who is Polish and hadn’t really been paying attention to the tv up to this point, quite angry. He explained to me that she was Polish and that is how I learned. I do my best to educate people about Marie and Chopin being Polish frequently mistaken for French. As university student I visited Maria’s birthhouse in Warsaw and learned more about her. She was amazing! Can you do a 2nd part on the movie and shows about her? Would love to see that 😍
I love that it was obviously your duty to report on this, and I love your sweater. As for your national identity… Every time I come to this website I’m just enchanted by how much I have to learn from you. I don’t think about you knowing my language because that’s common outside of the U.S., but I find it hilarious that I learn about aspects of American culture from you – slang, news, and sometimes just English vocabulary that I forget about. Damn, girl. It’s not that you speak it so well, but that you have to teach it to me. I mean, I’m a diehard Burton/Elfman/Ryder fan, but you’re gonna be the one helping me form an opinion about a movie from my own country. I’m over here asking people “what does ‘cap’/’no cap’ mean?” Also, the first portrayal I thought of was from “Young Einstein.” I believe the French actress is named Odile le Clezio. I’m too lazy to look it up. I think I knew that Marie wasn’t French, but I just get obsessed over her being female and dealing with 19th-century men. God. I don’t remember learning about legendary women in history class. Just a bunch of white dudes fighting wars. Anyway, keep the attitude. The dudes are acting up again. ☢
I distinctly remember my French teacher in middle school quizzing us on famous French people with these game cards, getting to Maria Skłodowska, and muttering to herself, huh, I didn’t know she was Polish. I was stunned lol. I guess in the French education system (at least, at the time she went to school) they don’t touch upon her heritage at all. I also find it odd that, despite being actually half-French, Chopin doesn’t get his Polish identity erased as much.
You’ve overlooked the most significant factor contributing to the perceived low success rate of Polish inventions (It’s not that Poland hasn’t produced many, but rather that it lacked the capital for self-promotion, and often these inventions were created in foreign countries due to occupation). During periods of occupation, many highly educated individuals were killed or sent to Siberia simply because of their education. Each failed uprising only exacerbated these repercussions, as uneducated people were less likely to rebel.
Also another thing – kills me how everybody refuses to pronounce her Polish surname, but somehow they always pronounce her French surname properly. Granted, Curie isn’t the hardest French surname in existence, but you still have to know how to pronounce it first. And say what you want, French is much harder to learn the pronunciation of than Polish.
To be totally honest, there are multiple world-changing or at least widespread inventions concieved by Poles: Ignacy Łukasiewicz developed the refining process of oil. Yep, without him the combustion engine revolution would come much later. Józef Hofmann invented around 70 car and music related things, including the car wipers (he was a musician and was inspired by metronome’s movement) pneumatic suspention in cars or a paperclip (!) to keep the sheets of music in place. Jan Czochralski invented the method of growing extremely pure metal crystals. This method is now used to grow silicon crystals used to manufacture chip processors (!) Or have you know that the word “vitamine” is a Polish invention? This word was introduced by Kazimierz Funk. His work saved millions of lives, it was he who discovered that certain chemicals are essential to keep us alive and healthy, helping to tame illnesses like beri-beri or scurvy. We’re still behind Croatians in that matter, they had like dozens of world-altering masterminds, but Poles did change the world, despite all the shockingly unfavourable odds
As a Ukrainian, I fully support you in your rage. Everything mentioned here about the Polish history of oppression and occupation, can be multiplied by 3 to get a feel of Ukrainian history. So many Ukrainian artists, scientists, and writers are referred to as “russian” in the West due to centuries of russian occupation, and so many more never even realized their full potential due to being killed or repressed. So often we are made to think that our cultures are lesser just because they did not have the colonial funding and imperial support to develop that countries like France, Great Britain, or russia had.
We are just fed up with westerners thinking that famous Polish people weren’t Polish just because polish surnames are too difficult for them to pronounce or write. Maria was obviously not only Polish, but also a patriot, naming polonium after Poland is such an obvious proof of that. Stop this agonizing erasure of Poles in world history 🙁
I remember learning that she was Polish when I first learned about her, but people just kept calling her French, so I guess I just sort of forgot over time. On a slightly unrelated note: this kind of reminds me of how people think of Marie Antoinette as French even though she was Austrian. Seems like France just likes claiming famous ladies as their own
I don’t get that debate at all, speaking as a Turkish person. Even if I moved abroad, got an education, and spent the rest of my life there, I’d still be Turkish. Maria Skłodowska-Curie is undeniably Polish. You can say she was educated in France or became a French citizen, but calling her ‘French’ is a whole different thing
Great movie! I really liked all the detail and I learned a lot! One small piece of advice as a foreign language teacher: when you’re demonstrating how to properly pronounce last names or other words, it helps a lot if you can say it really slow and syllable by syllable. Yes, they are hard for us non-Poles to pronounce at first (I remember when I visited Poland all the place names looked like gibberish to me!) but generally speaking, we actually really do want to get it right. As English speakers we know a thing or two about learning to read and pronounce long words that are hard to sound out. If we see a big word flash on the screen and don’t have time to process it there’s no way we can replicate it, but if you walk us through how to say it right as if we were four years old, we can do it! 😊 Side note: I grew up in a community in the US that had a lot of Polish families, meaning we knew a lot of Swaslowskis, Smiarowskis, Galonkas, etc. whose folks had immigrated in the 19th century. It was SO cool when I got to visit Poland and see where they all had come from. It’s a beautiful country ❤
Thanks for the article. Ukrainian girl here. As we are now fighting with the empire that also colonised us, simultaneously we are trying to get back all the names that russians appropriated. We all need to shout really loud to shed more light on historical truth. It is important to talk about it because identity is important.
As a non-Polish person, I would defend the truth. And the truth is Maria Skłodowska was Polish. Simple as that, it doesn’t matter where she lived or whom she married. Just imagine saying to American that Washington was British, because he was born in British colonies? 😀 And as a fellow Slav – I can understand why you are obsessed. It is true that most great scientists and inventors and authors and other significant people came from big, wealthy Western countries. And we must educate others that our nations are not forsaken backwaters without anyone important for modern civilization. Thanks for lesson in Polish history, I enjoyed it. Pozdravljam!
This is what happened with my Polish Grandfather. Canadian customs decided to write the name down wrong. Despite its terrible misspelling, he continued to use it. My father was so annoyed at people using our misspelled name and complaining about how difficult it was to say it that he legally changed it to an English nobility last name when I was young. We were treated differently, and it was only the 1980s. People assumed we were part English. As I got older, I was annoyed with my fake last name. It wasn’t who I was. I have no English blood (I’m Polish, Ukrainian with a drop of French). I still feel like an imposter. If I get married, I’ll happily dump it as I have no love for it. I’m considering changing it back to my real, properly spelled last name.
One day I was walking in the science department of my school and I saw they had a poster of famous scientists and where they were from, unfortunately she was labelled as just French on it, and I pointed it out to my science teacher (nothing came of it, but I don’t think they even knew she was polish) It’s such a sad feeling that someone so extraordinary is mislabelled SO often.
As an American, I do want to mention that we are not taught a lot about eastern European cultures in school. In fact, we don’t even learn anything about British history or Native American history very much. American history (especially the American revolution) is drilled in our brains for years. Most of what I learned about Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and any Slavic or Baltic states came from a couple books by Ruta Septys (sorry if I spelled her name wrong, I’m typing on my phone) called Salt to the Sea and Between the Shades of Gray. Those books alone taught me so much I never learned in school. We were also never taught about Marie Skladowska Curie period. Our education system is garbage and very American centric and leaves us behind the rest of the world. But the US is too prideful to admit they are creating uncultured idiots.
Maria Sklodowska-Curie fought for women to recognized as human who deserve respect. To a woman who made a statement of keeping her maiden name, it’s a btchslap to maniacally change her governmental name she herself chose to demonstrate her independence and pride. She never signed her name as “Marie Curie” nor was she ashamed of her nationality, fighting against negative stereotypes. Slavs were considered subhuman, and Maria wasn’t one of the immigrants who were ashamed or tried to erase their background. I don’t this you fully understand the statement she was making, a Slavic woman who conquered the science without doubt or shame. This woman deserves for her name to be what she intended it to be. She was a proud genius woman of two surnames and everything she did was intentional. Would you be so comfortable twisting and simplifying surnames of people who currently face ridicule and lack of basic respect due to their ethic background? This is what Maria Sklodowska Curie went through but she never gave up, changing herself just to fit in. Polish people don’t face discrimination or exploitation like they did even 100 years back, so you can’t even comprehend the bravery of this woman. You don’t have to be a contemporary patriot to support Maria Sklodowska Curie and respect her wishes that were revolutionary considering the sociopolitical scene back then. It’s not about national pride but honoring the work of a famous feminist and anti-imperialist, Maria Sklodowska Curie. I saw you as a feminist who championed other women, respected their agency and passion but apparently your biases stop you from properly honoring a person who changed the world just because you’re embarrassed to be seen as a small Polish person who’s obsessed with details.