Question

Why was the gift of a ton pitchblende, a great stroke of luck, to the Curies?

Answer 1

1. The Curies were passionate about their research on pitchblende.
2. Pitchblende was very expensive and despite sacrificing a lot of things to buy small amounts of it, their efforts didn’t prove to be enough.
3. Hence, when they were gifted a ton of pitchblende by the emperor of Austria, they restarted their work with renewed energy.
4. After working indomitably for more than 4 years, the Curies were finally able to obtain Polonium and Radium from Pitchblende.

Therefore, it can be said that the gift of a ton of pitchblende was a great stroke of luck to the Curies.