Historical Perspectives on the Public Memory of Marie S. Curie (2011, 1911)

Pnina G. Abir-Am's talk provides a historical perspective on the public memory of Marie S. Curie since her 1911 Nobel Award in Chemistry. The talk illustrates how the public memory of Curie was shaped by the timing, place, scientific, & political agendas prevailing at key events, including her death in 1934; her belated internment in the Pantheon–the collective grave of great French minds in 1994; and at the centennial of the discovery of radium (for which the sole Nobel in chemistry in 1911 was given) in 1998. The impact of gender, family status, and ethnicity on her public memory is also discussed.