Letter to the Editor—It Wasn’t Madame Curie

I read with surprise in the October Newsletter in your summary of ferroelectric memory research that, “The ferroelectric phenomenon was first discovered and described by Madame Curie.”

Marie Curie may be responsible for ferromagnetism. I have no references on hand which would settle this question. However, the ferroelectric phenomenon was first reported by Joseph Valasek in 1921 (at the University of Minnesota). The material was “Rochelle salt.”

(References: J. Valasek, Physics Review 17, 1921, p.475 and Jona and Shirane, “Ferroelectric Crystals,” Pergamon Press, 1962, p. 280.)

John Shier
IEEE Senior Member
(Retired and instructing at Normandale Community
College, Bloomington, Minnesota)