The first woman to receive a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903, which she shared with her husband Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel for their work on radioactivity. Curie's groundbreaking research significantly contributed to advances in both physics and chemistry, particularly through her discovery of the elements polonium and radium. Later, in 1911, she became the first person ever to win a second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her work in isolating radium and studying its properties. Curie's achievements broke gender barriers in science and inspired future generations of women scientists.