Maria Curie is the most famous female physicist in history. I know that is an exceptionally bold claim to make, but it is my obligation to write what is true. Maria was yet another individual trying to mark her place in this cruel and unforgiving world. A mission like that has always been tremendously difficult to accomplish, especially if you were a woman living in Poland during the time of the Russian invasion. Maria's parents raised their children to be patriots of a nation that no longer existed. By 1815, through wars and treaties, the countries around Poland divided up the country and swallowed up its pieces. The Sklodowski's were going to stop at nothing to uphold their country's heritage and culture. This determination ultimately caused the family to suffer a great deal financially. Maria's father was relieved of his teaching duties due to his pro-Polish beliefs causing the household income to take a mighty blow. The only thing that could lift the family of their underprivileged-condition was education. Money was scarce, but learning was plentiful in Maria's household, seeing as her parents were both highly educated teachers. Her mother and eldest sister had died of tuberculosis by the time she was eleven years old. Despite this tragedy, "Manya  graduated from high school at the tender age of fifteen with the highest honors. It is widely believed that she went through a brief period of depression after graduation, and so her father sent her to visit a few cousins in the countryside in order for her to clear her mind. Education pulled Maria back to Warsaw from her year of recuperation in the country. Women were not allowed to study at the University of Warsaw. Maria and her older sister Bronya joined other female students at a secret underground "free university".  Maria and Bronya knew that to get a true professional education, they would have to go to a major university in Western Europe. The sisters made a pact. Maria would help pay for Bronya's medical studies in Paris. As soon as Bronya was trained and began to earn money, she would help cover the costs of Maria's university training. In connection with this, Maria took a position as governess: first as a home tutor in Warsaw; then for two years as a governess in Szczuki with a landed family, the Borawski's, who were relatives of her father. Maria spent three years in a village 150 kilometers from Warsaw. She used some of her spare time to teach the children of the Polish peasant workers how to read, although she risked punishment if the Russian authorities found out. This love story ended fairly quickly because his family rejected the idea of their son marrying a penniless governess, and Kazimierz did not go against his family's wishes. It was heartbreaking for Maria to stay an employee of his family after the rejection, but she put her feelings aside to keep the promise she had made to her sister. Maria used her free hours to read extensively in numerous subjects. She found that she was best at math, physics, and chemistry. The Russian authorities had forbidden Poles to teach laboratory science, but a chemist in the beet-sugar factory taught Maria some teachings. Maria returned to Warsaw in 1889. Her father was now earning a better salary as head of a reform school, and was able to send money to Bronya in Paris each month. For another two years Maria went on working as a governess and tutor. She secretly studied a chemistry course at a "Flying University  which was actually an illegal lab for training Polish scientists. Maria finally saved up enough money to attend university in Paris. She bid farewell to her homeland of Poland and started a new life in France. Upon arriving to France, Maria changed her name to Marie and met a man named Pierre Curie. Pierre was an instructor at the School of Physics and Chemistry. Their passion for science brought them close together, and eventually they developed feelings toward each other. A highly referred to joke is that Marie was "Pierre's biggest discovery . On July 26, 1894, they married in a civil union; neither wanted a religious service. Marie's dark blue outfit, worn in place of a bridal gown, would serve her for many years as a lab outfit. They shared two amusements: long bicycle trips, and journeys abroad. Over the next two years, Marie completed her research on the magnetic properties of steels. She submitted her final results shortly before giving bi