Curie was born on 7 November 1867 in Warsaw, Poland. She lived there until she was 22. Her original name was Maria. Marie Curie was the fifth child in her family. At the age of ten, her sister Zofia died. Her mother died two years later. Her father was a math teacher. He died when she was 11. As a young girl, she was interested in physics. She was top of her high school class. She graduated at 15. Marie became a teacher so she could earn money to go to school in Paris, France. She also went to an unaccredited college in Poland. Eventually, she left Poland and went to France under the name “Marie" after one of her big sisters gave her the chance. In Paris, she earned higher degrees and did her important scientific work. She founded the Curie Institutes in Paris and Warsaw.