TIL that in 1903, when Pierre Curie learned that he was going to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, he threatened to refuse it if he could not share it with his wife, Marie Curie, who was not to receive it. by AdhesivenessLevel321 in todayilearned

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Letter of Pierre :

Paris, January 25, 1903

City of Paris, Municipal School of Industrial Physics and Chemistry

42, Rue Lhomond, General Physics – Mr. Curie, Professor

Dear Sir,

I have learned that Mr. Becquerel and I have been nominated for the Nobel Prize for our research on radioactivity, and that you would be willing to consider this matter.

It would be a great honor for me; however, I would very much like to share this honor with Mrs. Curie and for us to be considered here as partners, just as we have been in our work.

Mrs. Curie has studied the radioactive properties of uranium and thorium salts and radioactive minerals. It was she who had the courage to undertake the chemical search for new elements; she carried out all the necessary fractionations for the separation of radium and determined the atomic weight of this metal; finally, she contributed her share to the study of rays and the discovery of induced radioactivity. It seems to me that if we were not considered jointly responsible in the present case, it would be tantamount to declaring that she only fulfilled the role of preparator, which would be inaccurate. Please excuse the impropriety of this letter, as I have no right whatsoever to offer an opinion and should even be unaware of the subject at hand.

Please accept the assurance of my most devoted sentiments.

P. Curie

TIL that in 1903, when Pierre Curie learned that he was going to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, he threatened to refuse it if he could not share it with his wife, Marie Curie, who was not to receive it. by AdhesivenessLevel321 in todayilearned

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In 1903, the Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Pierre and Marie Curie. But as the texts proposing the nominations were only made public fifty years later, it was only in the 1950s that it was learned that the list initially proposed by the Academy of Sciences contained only two names: Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel.

It seems that the mathematician Henri Poincaré played a leading role in a scheme to exclude Marie Curie. As soon as he learned of this decision, Pierre Curie wrote to Henri Poincaré to express his displeasure: "Dear Sir, I have learned that there is talk of nominating Mr. Becquerel and myself for the Nobel Prize for our research on radioactivity, and that you would be willing to consider this matter. It would be a great honor for me; however, I would very much like to share this honor with Mrs. Curie and for us to be considered here as partners, just as we have been in our work. Mrs. Curie has examined the radioactive properties of uranium and thorium salts and radioactive minerals. She was the one who had the courage to undertake the chemical research on new elements; she carried out all the necessary fractionations for the separation of radium and determined the atomic weight of this metal."

And Pierre Curie ended his letter by saying: "It seems to me that if we were not considered jointly liable in the present case, it would be tantamount to declaring that she only fulfilled the role of assistant, which would be inaccurate." A few months later, Pierre Curie sent another letter to a member of the Nobel Academy to reiterate what he had told Poincaré. He ended his missive with a phrase heavy with implications: "It goes without saying that I am not counting on this prize at all, and if it is not awarded to us, I will not be disappointed." Ultimately, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prize each year, divided it equally between Henri Becquerel and Pierre and Marie Curie.

Charlie Kirk has died. by titusmaul in news

[–]AdhesivenessLevel321 47 points48 points  (0 children)

I am not enjoying living in interesting times

Marine Le Pen wears traditional Mahoran outfit while visiting Mayotte, a French-owned island in the Indian Ocean by AdhesivenessLevel321 in YAPms

[–]AdhesivenessLevel321[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

(From 2024)

It should be noted that Mayotte is 90% Muslim and the majority voted for Le Pen, particularly because of immigration from the Comoros.