Marie Curie spent most of her time in the shed working on her discovery in the 1890s. The conditions were bad, as the shed turned extremely hot during the summer and was freezing in the winter. The shed’s glass roof also didn’t provide complete protection from the harsh elements, according to GE Healthcare. Trish Baisden, a senior chemist, described the conditions in Curie’s makeshift laboratory. “Large swings in temperature and humidity undoubtedly affected the electrometer … but Marie’s patience and tenacity prevailed,” she said (via Smithsonian Magazine).

Curie’s hard work and persistence paid off when she and her husband Pierre, together with A. Henri Becquerel, were awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1903. There were hindrances that she had to overcome before that, however, as the French Academy of Sciences quietly rallied against having a woman winning a Nobel Prize. Instead, they wanted to attribute her work to Pierre Curie and Becquerel only. Pierre insisted that his wife was the one who conducted experiments and came up with the theories, and therefore should be recognized as well. The awarding body eventually agreed, making Marie Curie the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize.