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Marie Curie (mander.xyz)
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[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 77 points 3 days ago

I don't know if she kept her polish last name after marriage but in Poland it's always Maria Skłodowska-Curie. I think it's some kind of Polish curse that the most famous poles are not known by polish names so people don't realize they were Polish. Curie, Chopin, Copernicus, John Paul II. Or, even worse, they are known by polish name by no one can pronounce it. The highest peak in Australia is Mt Kościuszko but Australians don't know it's named after polish General because they can't even say it.

[-] _skj@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago

Looks like she continued to use her maiden name throughout her life. American schools seem to always use her French name, including using Marie instead of Maria. Partially because Americans can't pronounce Polish names. And likely a significant cultural bias towards associating scientific advancement with Western Europe.

[-] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 16 points 2 days ago

I've never seen a "Maria Skłodowska-Curie street" outside of Poland. It's always Marie Curie. It's definitely not just USA, it's the same in Europe.

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this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2025
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