1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: The Stay in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, welcome to the show. I'm Eves 3 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: and you're listening to This Day in History Class, a 4 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,600 Speaker 1: show that uncovers a little bit more about history every day. 5 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: Today is October nineteen nineteen. The day was October nineteenth, 6 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: nineteen o nine. French nuclear chemist and physicist Marguerite Parae 7 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: was born in Vila Mambla, France, a suburb northeast of Paris. 8 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 1: Parae is known for discovering franci Um seven, element of 9 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: the periodic table, and being the first woman elected to 10 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:46,839 Speaker 1: the French Academy of Sciences. Paraye was born into a 11 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: middle class Protestant family. As a child, she took an 12 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: interest in science and wanted to study medicine, but her 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: father died in nineteen fourteen, leaving her mom to take 14 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: care of her and her fourth sibling. Her mother gave 15 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: piano lessons, but the family still faced financial hardship and 16 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 1: Marguerite could not go to a university. She did, however, 17 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: attend La Cole Dean Signment Technique Feminine, a school for 18 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: female technicians. Her education there qualified her to become a 19 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,440 Speaker 1: chemistry technician, and after she completed her studies, she became 20 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: a lab assistant at the Radium Institute in Paris, where 21 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 1: physicist and Nobel Prize winner Marie Curry was director. Curry 22 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: acted as a mentor to Parae. Radio Activity was the 23 00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: focus of Parae's work. Her job was to purify actinium, 24 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:44,080 Speaker 1: a radioactive element that was discovered in eighteen by chemist 25 00:01:44,120 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: Andre de Bien. Parae was skilled when it came to 26 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: preparing radioactive sources, and she eventually became Curie's personal assistant. 27 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: After Curry died in nineteen thirty four, Andre debian became 28 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: the director of the institute, and per Ray continued researching 29 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: the properties of actinium. She also studied the spectrum of 30 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 1: the radioactive elements barium and strontium. By this time, Paray's 31 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: work in radio chemistry was well recognized by others in 32 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:17,680 Speaker 1: her field, but the discovery she's best remembered for it 33 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:22,640 Speaker 1: happened in night. Scientists were trying to find element eighty 34 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: seven on the periodic table, one of just a few 35 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: elements that they thought were missing from the periodic table. 36 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: In her research, Paray realized that the actinium she had 37 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 1: purified was emitting unexpected radiation. After a series of tests, 38 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: she came to the conclusion that she had discovered a 39 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,640 Speaker 1: new element, one that was predicted by Dimitri Mendeleez periodic table. 40 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: It was element eighty seven with an atomic weight of 41 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: two three. She initially called the element actin um k, 42 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: but it was later renamed francium after her home country. 43 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 1: Jean Perrin announced the ascovery to the French Academy of 44 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: Sciences in early January nineteen thirty nine. Paray began working 45 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: on the chemical and nuclear properties of franci um and 46 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:12,960 Speaker 1: studying artificial radioactivity. She got a grant to study at 47 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: the Sorbonne in Paris, and in nineteen forty six she 48 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: got her doctorate of physics. Paray went on to work 49 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: at Francis National Center for Scientific Research, and she studied 50 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: the biological effects of francium at the University of Strasbourg, 51 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: where she was made head of the Department of Nuclear 52 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: Chemistry in nineteen forty nine. By the late nineteen fifties, 53 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: a nuclear chemistry lab she directed at Strasbourg had become 54 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: a part of a larger nuclear research facility. In nineteen 55 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,840 Speaker 1: sixty two, she was elected as the first female corresponding 56 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: member of the French Academy of Sciences. She remained head 57 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,560 Speaker 1: of her lab in Strasbourg until her death. In her 58 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: last years, she continued to receive awards and the press 59 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: recognized her as a notable science tist. Unfortunately, her story 60 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: was also a cautionary tale about safety measures that are 61 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: necessary when working with radiation. Parae was diagnosed with cancer 62 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: in the nineteen sixties. After years of dealing with that diagnosis, 63 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 1: which was a result of her prolonged exposure to radiation, 64 00:04:19,040 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 1: she died in France in May of nineteen I'm each 65 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,680 Speaker 1: Jeffcote and hopefully you know a little more about history 66 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. Feel free to share your 67 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: thoughts or your innermost feelings with us and with other 68 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: listeners on social media at t d i h C podcast. 69 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: If emails your thing, send us a note at this 70 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: day at I heeart media dot com. Thanks for listening 71 00:04:46,920 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: to today's episode. We'll see you again tomorrow. For more 72 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 73 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: apple Pie Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.