Electronics – The Episodic Table of Elements

60. Neodymium: Anarchy And Order

May 4, 2020

6:00 am

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Atomic Structure, Belgium, Congo, Electronics, Imperialism, Magnetism, Mining, United States

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Decades of complex geopolitical chaos ultimately result in one afternoon’s rather embarrassing hospital visit.

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56. Barium: Glow-Getter

March 9, 2020

6:00 am

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Alchemy, Computers, Electricity, Electronics, Humphry Davy, John Fleming, Lee de Forest, Medicine, Nuclear Weapons, Thomas Edison

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When you really want to suck all the air out of a room, barium will help you out.

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34. Selenium: A Fit Of Heat And Light

March 25, 2019

6:00 am

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Alexander Graham Bell, Chester Carlson, Communications, Daniel Ellsberg, Electronics, Johannes Trithemius, Jons Jacob Berzelius, Martin Luther, Paracelsus, Pentagon Papers, Pharmaceuticals, Photography, Photophone, Printing Press, Telephone, Xerox

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Throughout history, copying information has been arduous, messy, and even dangerous — until one bored, depressed man figured out the secrets of selenium.

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32. Germanium: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

February 25, 2019

6:00 am

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Bell Labs, Clemens Winkler, Computers, Dmitri Mendeleev, Electronics, Germany, Jack Kilby, John Bardeen, Texas Instruments, Walter Brattain, William Shockley

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Silicon gets all the press, but germanium was the real trailblazer of the Information Age.

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