Germany | The Episodic Table of Elements

43. Technetium: Naturally Synthetic

August 12, 2019

6:00 am

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Carlo Perrier, Dmitri Mendeleev, Emilio Segre, Ernest Lawrence, Etymology, Fission, Gabon, Germany, Ida Tacke, Italy, Medicine, Nuclear Power, Oklo, Otto Berg, Particle Accelerators, Synthetic Elements, Walter Noddack

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It’s only after we gave up searching for this element that we found it out in the universe.

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42. Molybdenum: Conventional Weapons

July 29, 2019

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Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Constantinople, Fortifications, France, Germany, Gunpowder, Japan, Mehmed II, Middle Ages, Mining, Turkey, Weaponry, World War I

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Before we talk about one big gun, let’s discuss 1,500 years of military technology.

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32. Germanium: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

February 25, 2019

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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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15. Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil

June 11, 2018

6:00 am

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Adenosine Triphosphate, Alchemy, Allotropes, Annie Besant, Biology, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Cosmetics, England, Germany, Guano, Hennig Brand, Illumination, Imperialism, Labor, Matches, Satan, World War II

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The history of phosphorus is largely a tale of people getting their hands dirty. Very, very dirty.

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