Marie Curie tops list of 10 most influential women of all time

Marie Curie has had the most significant impact on world history, according to a BBC poll of women who changed the world.

The pioneering scientist was voted in at number one, higher than Margaret Thatcher, Emmeline Pankhurst and the Virgin Mary, according to a reader poll conducted by BBC History Magazine .

The Polish-born French scientist, who became the first person to win two Nobel prizes - one for physics and one for chemistry - carried out important research into radioactivity, a term that she coined.

Her discoveries launched effective cures for cancer and helped in the development of X-rays in surgery.