Marie Curie's Notebook

Marie Curie's historical research notebooks are currently stored safely at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. Because they are heavily contaminated with radium, these documents are kept in lead-lined boxes to protect archivists from radiation exposure. Visitors must sign a liability waiver and wear protective gear to view them.

Her notebooks date back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when she conducted her pioneering work isolating the radioactive elements radium and polonium. The constant exposure to these highly radioactive materials permanently contaminated the paper. Radium has a half-life of 1,600 years, meaning the notebooks will remain hazardous for millennia.

These specific notebooks contain the foundational research and raw data that led to her discovery of the elements polonium and radium. Her work in these texts fundamentally advanced the understanding of radioactivity, a term she coined herself. This pioneering research ultimately earned her two Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry.

No, casual public viewing is strictly restricted due to the severe health risks associated with prolonged radiation exposure. Only specialized researchers who sign liability waivers and wear designated protective clothing are granted access. Even then, the documents are handled with extreme caution within controlled environments at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.