Curie couldn't afford to buy element she had discovered 
Marie Curie, who had discovered the element Radium, did not file a patent for the discovery and could not afford to buy it later for research. The discovery had led to 'Radium boom' and the element was sold for $100,000 a gram. Curie, however, did not express disappointment over not patenting the discovery and said, "Radium belongs to the people."