Salomea Sklodowska Curie was a polish and french physicist and chemist. Curie conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Henri Becquerel inspired Marie to furthur investigate radioactivity. They examined many substances and minerals for signs of radioactivity. "They found that the mineral pitchblende was more radioactive than uranium and concluded that it must contain other radioactive substances". Curie managed to extract two unknown elements, polonium and radium, both more radioactive thean uranium. After Marie and Pierre Curie first discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium, Marie continued to investigate their properties. In 1910 she successfully produced radium as a pure metal, which proved the new element's existence.