At first glance, it’s an ordinary family photo taken in 1902: a mother, father, and their little daughter.
But within this frame lies one of the most extraordinary legacies in the history of science.
The mother is Maria Skłodowska Curie — the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person in the world to win two in different fields:
for physics (1903) and chemistry (1911).
Her discoveries about radioactivity revolutionized medicine, physics, and our understanding of the atom.
Standing next to her is Pierre Curie, her husband and research collaborator.
Together with Henri Becquerel, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, laying the foundations for modern atomic science.
And the little girl in Marie’s arms?
That’s Irène Joliot-Curie, who was destined to continue her parents’ legacy.
Growing up in a home where discoveries were part of everyday life, she became an extraordinary scientist herself.
In 1935, she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie for the discovery of artificial radioactivity.
One photo.
Three faces.
Four Nobel Prizes.
Incredible.
