Marie Curie was a physicist, chemist and pioneer in the study of radiation. Her discovery of radium and polonium hugely contributed to the fight against cancer, and she was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize (in fact, she was awarded it twice). Today her work is continued through the Marie Curie charity, which supports people affected by cancer and terminal illness.

Basically: she’s a bit of a feminist legend and a massive inspiration for women working in STEM today. She’s also currently trending on Twitter for a very bizarre reason…

A photograph of a cake with Curie’s face printed on it started doing the rounds on social media this week, because of a supposed mix up at the bakery who confused Curie for Mariah Carey.

“My cousin in England told her colleagues she wanted a Mariah Carey birthday cake. They misunderstood, and is the cake they made her instead. It’s Marie Curie, looking very festive,” wrote a women on Twitter alongside a photograph of the cake.

Then, quite unbelievably, megastar Carey got involved by replying: “This could’ve been me if only I hadn’t failed remedial math. Happy birthday Siobhan!”

The thread has quickly become a viral sensation, with one fan writing: “I love that no one asked any questions. ‘She wants Marie Curie, all right done.’ That’s clean.”

Another shared a photo of what an actual Mariah Carey cake should look like, tweeting: “I got a MC cake for my bday!”

And a third told Carey: “The only math you need to know is knowing your chart positions, awards nominations and wins, and all the money you make slaying the world.”

But the plot thickens as it turns out that the cake was actually part of an ongoing joke between colleagues at Essex charity Hope for Chronic Conditions and was not a mix up after all. Siobhan told BBC news that she had previously spoken about a Carey cake she had made for her brother Sean’s birthday. “The charity’s treasurer has hearing issues and has trouble with my Canadian accent, so he kept asking why I’d make a ‘Marie Curie cake’,” she said. 

Suddenly it all makes sense…kinda.

Image: Getty