Chien-Shiung Wu

Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese-American physicist. She was born in Liuhe, China, in 1912. She proved that a rule in physics called parity was not always true. She was known as the First Lady of Physics.

Early Life

Wu's father believed girls should get the same education as boys. He started a school for girls in their town. Wu studied physics in China and then moved to the United States. She earned her degree at the University of California, Berkeley.

Big Discoveries

Wu designed a famous experiment that proved nature does not always act the same way in a mirror image. Two male scientists won the Nobel Prize for this idea, but Wu did not share the prize even though she did the experiment. She also worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Fun Facts

• Wu was called the Chinese Madame Curie.
• She was the first woman to be president of the American Physical Society.
• The U.S. Postal Service put her on a stamp in 2021.

Did You Know?

Wu fought for equal pay for women scientists throughout her career. She once said she wondered how many people knew that physics had no gender, meaning science belongs to everyone.