Val-de-Grâce in Paris in Département de Paris, Île-de-France, France — Western Europe
La Découverte de Radioactivité Artificielle / Discovery of Artificial Radioactivity
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, June 26, 2023
1. Discovery of Artificial Radioactivity Marker
This photo was taken after hours through the fence with a telephoto lens, hence the soft focus.
Le Prix Nobel en chimie leur est decerne en 1935
Frederic Joliot-Curie (1900-1958)
Irene Joliot-Curie (1897-1956)
In 1934, in this laboratory directed by Marie Curie, Frederic and Irene Joliot-Curie discovered artificial radioactivity.
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to them in 1935.
Frederic Joliot-Curie (1900-1958)
Irene Joliot-Curie (1897-1956)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.
Location. 48° 50.658′ N, 2° 20.686′ E. Marker is in Paris, Île-de-France, in Département de Paris. It is in Val-de-Grâce. Marker is at the intersection of Rue Pierre et Marie Curie and Rue d’Ulm, on the left when traveling west on Rue Pierre et Marie Curie. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3 Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, Île-de-France 75005, France. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
this page online
More about this marker. The marker is mounted to the exterior of the Musée Curie. The marker is not readily apparent from the street, but is visible through the gate.
Also see . . .
1. Irène Joliot-Curie (Nobel Prize).
Life: Irene Curie was born in Paris as the daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, who went on to become Nobel Laureates in physics and chemistry. Irene Curie worked together with her mother to provide mobile X-ray units during World War I. She resumed her studies at the university in Paris after the war and later worked at the institute that her parents had founded. It was there that she conducted her Nobel Prize-awarded work together with Frédéric Joliot, whom she married in 1926.(Submitted on August 18, 2023.)The couple was politically active and worked to combat fascism and Nazism. They had two children.Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, June 26, 20232. Discovery of Artificial Radioactivity Marker - wide viewThe marker is visible to the left of the entrance of what is now the Musée Curie.
Work: Radiation from radioactive substances also became an important tool in investigating atoms. When Irene Joliot-Curie and Frédéric Joliot bombarded a thin piece of aluminum with alpha particles (helium atom nuclei) in 1934, a new kind of radiation was discovered that left traces inside an apparatus known as a cloud chamber. The pair discovered that the radiation from the aluminum continued even after the source of radiation was removed. This was because aluminum atoms had been converted into a radioactive isotope of phosphorus. That meant that, for the first time in history, a radioactive element had been created artificially.
2. Frédéric Joliot (Nobel Prize). (Submitted on August 18, 2023.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 18, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 41 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 18, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
