Marie Curie was the first Polish woman to receive a Nobel Prize. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for her research on radioactivity, making her the first woman to achieve this honor. Curie's groundbreaking work led to significant advancements in the understanding of atomic physics and chemistry. She later became the first person ever to receive a second Nobel Prize, winning in Chemistry in 1911 for her discoveries of radium and polonium.