ESPCI ParisTech - History

History

At the end of the 19th century, following the annexion of Alsace and Lorraine by Germany, France lost the École de Chimie de Mulhouse (Mulhouse Chemistry School), which was at that time the best Chemistry school in the country. One of its professors, Charles Lauth, starting in 1878, obtained from the public administration the creation of a Grande École.

In 1882 the École Supérieure de Chimie Industrielles de la Ville de Paris was established and became the ESPCI, the current name, in 1948. Since its foundation, the founders of the school have been insisting on the pluridisciplinarity of the courses available. Biology was introduced in 1994. Studying at the ESPCI is free of charge as voted by the Counsel of Paris.

After its establishment, the School rapidly became a meeting spot for the best scientists. From 1880 on, Pierre and Jacques Curie started a serie of research on crystal electrical properties that led to the piezoelectricity discovery. At the end of the year 1897, Marie Curie started her work on uranic rays discovered by Becquerel one year earlier. After numerous experiments in the ESPCI laboratories, she found out that pitchblende was 4 times more radioactive than uranium or thorium. In July 1898, the Curies announced the discovery of polonium and in December of the same year that of radium. Pierre and Marie Curie received the Physics Nobel Prize in 1903. After the death of her husband, Marie Curie was granted the Chemistry Nobel Prize in 1911.

Many former students have distinguished themselves, amongst which there are Georges Claude (5th year), founder of Air Liquide, Paul Langevin (7th year), physicist and inventor and Frédéric Joliot-Curie (39th year), founder of the CEA and Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 with his wife Irène.

In 1976, Pierre-Gilles de Gennes became Director of the School (Nobel Prize 1991).