Marie and Pierre Curie discovered polonium in 1898 and named it after Poland. They identified it while studying pitchblende, a uranium ore whose radioactivity was stronger than uranium alone could explain.
The Curies chemically separated tiny amounts of the new element from processed ore. Polonium is a rare, highly radioactive metal with the atomic number 84. Its discovery helped establish that radioactivity was an atomic property rather than merely a feature of a chemical compound.
Marie Curie initially called the substance “radium F” in her research notes before the name polonium became established. The name honored her homeland, which at the time was divided among neighboring empires and did not exist as an independent state.
Polonium is sometimes confused with radium, another radioactive element studied by the Curies. Radium was discovered by the Curies in the same year, but polonium was the first of the two they announced. The element has a few specialized uses, including antistatic devices and certain compact heat sources.