Who discovered radium?

Who discovered radium?

The discovery of radium, a radioactive element was one of the most significant discoveries made towards the end of the 19th century. It revolutionized scientific knowledge about the nature of matter, and brought great fame to the young scientist Marie Curie, who discovered it. An ore of uranium, pitchblende, proved to be three or four times as radioactive as uranium oxide. When Madam Curie learnt this, she deduced that some previously unknown element must be present in the mineral to produce this radioactivity. Along with her husband, the French physicist Pierre Curie, Marie searched for this substance. After extensive experimentation with pitchblende, the Curies found a substance with about 900 times the radioactivity of uranium. In December 1898, they proudly announced the existence of a new radioactive element, which they called ‘radium’. They isolated radium into its pure form in 1902. The discovery of radium marked the birth of modern nuclear Physics. It led to the development of radiotherapy, which is used in cancer treatment. Today, there are many other uses for radium as well.