Marie Curie got involved in aiding soldiers of the First World War
The cabinet made the decision to relocate to Bordeaux as the German army advanced on Paris. The one gram of radium in Curie's lab was all of France's research supply. Marie Curie, accompanied by government employees, boarded a train headed for Bordeaux at the government's request while transporting the priceless element in a large lead box. Curie, however, believed she belonged in Paris, unlike many others. She took a military train back to Paris after depositing the radium in a Bordeaux safe-deposit box.
She understood that X-rays could save soldiers' lives by enabling medical professionals to spot bullets, shrapnel, and damaged bones. She persuaded the government to give her the authority to establish the first military radiology facilities in France. As the Red Cross Radiology Service's newly appointed director, she extorted cash and luxury vehicles from her rich friends.
She persuaded auto body shops to convert automobiles into vans and pleaded with equipment manufacturers to contribute to their nation. The first of her 20 radiological trucks was ready by the end of October 1914. These mobile radiography units, which took X-ray equipment to the injured at the front lines of battle, came to be known by the French enlisted troops as petites Curies (little Curies).
