Which two-field Nobel laureate is paired with Curie in Wikipedia's comparison?
Answer
Linus Pauling
Answer
Linus Pauling
Linus Pauling is the two-field Nobel laureate paired with Marie Curie in Wikipedia’s comparison. Both scientists won Nobel Prizes in two different fields, a rare distinction in the history of the awards.
Curie won the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics for research on radioactivity, sharing it with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel. She later won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering polonium and radium, isolating radium, and investigating its properties.
Pauling’s two prizes came in different areas as well. He received the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on the nature of the chemical bond and the structure of complex substances. In 1962, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning against nuclear weapons and atmospheric nuclear testing.
The comparison can cause confusion because Curie is often described as the only person to win Nobel Prizes in two different sciences, whereas Pauling won in chemistry and peace. Pauling is also notable as the only person to receive two unshared Nobel Prizes.
Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026