Lynn Rymarz at the Moline Public Library -- May 18.
Thursday, May 18, 2:30 p.m.
Moline Public Library, 3210 41st Street, Moline IL
On May 18, the accomplishments of a pair of notable women from the world of science will be explored in a live presentation at the Moline Public Library, with touring storyteller and historic reenactor Lynn Rymarz, in period attire, telling the tales of Marie Curie and Ottawa, Illinoisn native Margaret "Peg" Looney.
Born in 1867, Maria Salomea Skłodowska was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner of her first Nobel Prize, making them the first-ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was also, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.
In the Moline Public Library's May 18 presentation, patrons are invited to watch history come to life as storyteller Lynn Rymarz shares the story of Marie Curie, allowing audiences to follow her life’s journey from her childhood in Poland, where she showed an early curiosity in science, to her years as a determined student studying in Paris. It leads to her Paris laboratory where she tried and failed at countless experiments before making her scientific breakthrough. Library guests will also hear how Curie made a trip to America to visit the President of the United States at the White House, her story inspiring others to follow their dreams and to never give up. During her Moline engagement, Rymarz will also share the story of Margaret “Peg” Looney from Ottawa, who worked as a radium dial painter and eventually became historically known as a “Radium Girl."
Program presenter Rymarz has been performing historical portrayals of notable women since 2005. As a children’s author and storyteller, she enjoys sharing little-known stories of famed historical figures, and wearing vintage clothing, Rymarz has portrayed such characters as Martha Washington, Mary Lincoln, Nellie Bly, Julia Child, Zelda Fitzgerald, Susan B. Anthony, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Mitchell, Eliza Hamilton, Dolley Madison, Mary Cassatt, the Unsinkable Molly Brown, and Rosie the Riveter.
Lynn Rymarz will deliver her performances as Marie Curie and Peg Looney in the library's Gold/Silver/Bronze Rooms on May 18, participation in the 2:30 p.m. presentation is free, and more informagtion is available by calling (309)524-2470 and visiting MolineLibrary.com.
