Radioactivity

Radioactive substances spontaneously emit rays that are similar to X-rays, however these rays are generated from the actual substances. These continual emissions can last for months at a time without outside assistance. An example of these natural substances are Uranium and radium, they are found in small quantities throughout the interior of the earth. Soon after the discovery of the X-ray, Henry Becquerel the effects of radioactive substances in 1896. When uranium salts affected a photographic …

…solution called barium chloride. Within this solution, lay the very substance they were in search of. They named this substance radium and found it to be one thousand times stronger than uranium. As a result of their discoveries the Curies were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. As if things could not get better, Marie Curie was awarded this prize a second time and became the first scientist to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize twice.