Five Nobel Prizes, one family: The Curies’ enduring legacy

When brilliance runs in the blood — the Curie family stands unmatched in Nobel history, with five Nobel Prizes shining under their name.

• 1903 – Physics: Marie and Pierre Curie shared the prize with Henri Becquerel for pioneering research on radiation.
• 1911 – Chemistry: Marie Curie struck gold again for discovering radium and polonium, becoming the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes in different sciences.
• 1935 – Chemistry: Irène Joliot-Curie and her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie earned the Nobel for creating artificial radioactivity, laying foundations for modern nuclear medicine.

Fun fact: The Curies’ home was so full of radioactive samples that many of Marie’s lab notebooks are still too radioactive to handle safely — more than a century later!

Legacy in one line:

The Curies didn’t just discover elements — they became one.

The Nobel Prizes: Celebrating brilliance that shapes the world

Every year, the Nobel Prizes honour individuals and organisations whose work transforms humanity — from unravelling the mysteries of the universe to advancing peace and literature.

The origins

The awards were established by Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, who left his fortune to create prizes for those who “confer the greatest benefit to humankind.”

The six categories

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Physiology or Medicine
• Literature
• Peace
• Economic Sciences (added later, in 1968 by the Swedish Central Bank)

Nobel Prize Week: A global celebration of genius

Held every October, Nobel Prize Week marks the announcement of laureates — one category each day, usually starting with Physiology or Medicine, followed by Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Peace and finally Economics.

The Nobel Prize ceremonies take place on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death — in Stockholm for the scientific and literary prizes and in Oslo for the Peace Prize.

Why it matters

Winning a Nobel isn’t just a medal — it’s joining a legacy of ideas that change how we see, think and live.