In 1929, a serene lake served as the backdrop for a heartfelt encounter between Albert Einstein and Marie Sktodowska Curie. Casting their minds back to 1906, Curie had endured the tragic loss of her husband, Pierre, who tragically perished in a collision with a horse-drawn cart while crossing a bustling Parisian street. Grieving for several years, Curie eventually discovered solace in the arms of Pierre’s protege, Paul Langevin, a married physics professor estranged from his physically abusive wife.
Tensions escalated when Langevin’s spouse uncovered his involvement with Curie. Determined to tarnish Curie’s reputation, she orchestrated a break-in at their apartment, seizing their intimate correspondence and promptly leaking it to the media. Curie found herself unjustly vilified, with an angry mob even gathering outside her home. Seeking refuge and safety, Curie and her daughter sought shelter with a trusted family friend, hiding from the public eye.
In a remarkable show of chivalry, Langevin challenged one of the editors responsible for the scandalous tabloid coverage to a duel, valiantly defending Curie’s honor. The adversaries stood face to face, but no shots were fired, perhaps signaling the recognition of the futility of violence in such circumstances.
Amidst these tumultuous events, Albert Einstein penned a letter to Marie Curie, extending his unwavering support and expressing his solidarity during her trying times.
“Highly esteemed Mrs. Curie,
Do not laugh at me for writing you without having anything sensible to say. But I am so enraged by the base manner in which the public is presently daring to concern itself with you that I absolutely must give vent to this feeling. However, I am convinced that you consistently despise this rabble, whether it obsequiously lavishes respect on you or whether it attempts to satiate its lust for sensationalism! I am impelled to tell you how much I have come to admire your intellect, your drive, and your honesty, and that I consider myself lucky to have made your personal acquaintance in Brussels. Anyone who does not number among these reptiles is certainly happy, now as before, that we have such personages among us as you, and Langevin too, real people with whom one feels privileged to be in contact. 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.
With most amicable regards to you, Langevin, and Perrin, yours very truly, A. Einstein”
In 1911, at the peak of the scandal, Curie went on to win her second Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
By Rachael Shieley
