Paris, France/parisF142

Previous | Home | Next

Strictly speaking, both radium and polonium were first "discovered" in 1898 in the storeroom of the main building, shown here in a photograph of Bémont (left), Pierre Curie (center), and Marie Curie (right, making a measurement on their piezoelectric apparatus) {LINK to parisF564}. The "discovery" in the storeroom was the identification of chemical fractions from the uranium ore which had enhanced radioactivity. Isolation of the elements themselves were performed in "The Shed" in subsequent years. "The Shed" was across the courtyard from the storeroom. The storeroom (and the rest of the main building), of course, no longer exists, because it was replaced by the modern building in 1932.