Radioactive! How Irene Curie and Lise Meitner Revolutionized Science and Changed the World

In this thorough and clear dual biography, Conkling (Passenger on the Pearl) profiles two 20th-century scientists whose contributions facilitated the creation of the atomic bomb%E2%80%94to their horror. Though Lise Meitner (1878%E2%80%931968) and Ir%C3%A8ne Curie (1897%E2%80%931956) shared an idealistic and passionate devotion to physics, they were often rivals and never worked collaboratively. Austrian-born Meitner, highly regarded throughout the 1930s for her meticulous experiment designs, outright disputed early results presented by Curie, daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, and her husband; her dismissal allowed the Curies to create the first manmade radioactive elements themselves, leading to a shared Nobel Prize in 1935. Only three years later, Meitner's explanation of nuclear fission set the stage for the atomic age. Both highly educated women struggled against chauvinist attitudes: Curie's efforts to join the French Academy of Science were repeatedly turned down, while Meitner never received a Nobel Prize despite 15 nominations. Conkling successfully redresses that lack of recognition here. A glossary, time line, and extensive "Who's Who" section provide additional context, along with explanatory sidebars and b&w photos. Ages 10%E2%80%9314. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency. (Jan.)