Marie Curie was being hounded by the media over her relationship with a protégé of her late husband.
Marie Curie's contributions to the field of science are enormous and well-documented. Her groundbreaking work in radioactivity saw her win the Nobel Prize in 1903. Despite her immense contribution to science and the world, she found herself caught in a scandal a few years later. Her husband Pierre had died tragically after he slipped and fell under a horse-drawn cart on a rainy day in 1906. After a couple of years, she fell in love with Pierre's pupil, Paul Langevin, a physics professor. The relationship turned into a scandal after Langevin's wife stole their love letters and leaked them to the press. Following this ugly leak, the press came down hard on Curie and painted her as a "homewrecker," as reported by The Marginalian. At such a vulnerable moment, it was Albert Einstein who stood in solidarity with her and offered support. The incident was uncovered in Walter Isaacson's insightful biography "Einstein: His Life and Universe".
His letter addressed the eminent scientist respectfully, writing, "Highly Esteemed, Mrs. Curie." Einstein then begins the letter by acknowledging the absurdity of the situation and how the public's fascination with her personal affairs was just noise. Einstein then urges Curie to simply ignore the "rabble" targeting her. Despite negative comments passed by the press, Einstein assures his unwavering admiration for Curie's character and achievements. He goes on to recall their last meeting in Brussels when they participated in a historic science conference in the Belgian capital. He then expresses his gratefulness for having known her and other esteemed individuals like Langevin and Perrin.
To cheer her up, he encouraged her to rise above the malicious gossip and remain focused on her scientific endeavors. He concludes the letter with simple advice, "If the rabble continues to occupy itself with you, then simply don’t read that hogwash, but rather leave it to the reptile for whom it has been fabricated."
Despite being hounded by the press, Curie responded in style and went on to pick up her second Nobel Prize in 1911. Her second win was awarded for her contribution to Chemistry. While the press was busy painting her as a "seductress" who lured a family man from his French wife, the two-time Nobel Prize winner was busy making advancements in the fields of Physics and Chemistry.
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