Marie Curie met two American presidents
Although Marie Curie's early professional life was exclusively spent in Europe, she eventually visited the United States—in fact, twice. She made her first trip to the White House in 1921 to receive a gram of radium for her research that had been crowdfunded by American women. She met President Warren G. Harding at that time, who gave her the radium and introduced her to his wife, Florence Harding, who helped with the fundraising.
She met President Herbert Hoover when she came back in 1929 to get supplies for her work. On this visit, there was "considerably less pomp," according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. To begin with, unlike in 1921, she was given money to purchase radium ($50,000, enough for one gram) as opposed to the actual radium. The Great Depression was made possible by the stock market meltdown that occurred two days after Curie arrived. However, according to NIST, President Hoover took the time to welcome her to the White House and give her the bank draft.
Curie sent Hoover a thank-you message following her visit. In her letter, she said, "I believe that it was extremely nice of you and Mrs. Hoover to devote time and concern to me in these particularly anxious days.
