Labor – The Episodic Table of Elements

88. Radium: Several Sordid Affairs

October 18, 2021

6:00 am

4 Comments on 88. Radium: Several Sordid Affairs

Albert Einstein, Art & Science, Cosmetics, Eben Byers, France, Frank Zappa, Frédéric Joliot-Curie, Irene Joliot-Curie, Labor, Marie Curie, Mark Twain, Medicine, New Jersey, Nobel Prizes, Paul Langevin, Paul Painlevé, Pierre Curie, Radioactivity, Radium Girls, Satan, William J. Bailey, Women In Science

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Out of all the characters who encounter radium in this episode, the only one to emerge unscathed is the guy who comes face-to-face with Satan.

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15. Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil

June 11, 2018

6:00 am

3 Comments on 15. Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil

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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4. Beryllium: The Modern Sisyphus

January 29, 2018

6:00 am

7 Comments on 4. Beryllium: The Modern Sisyphus

Enrico Fermi, Etymology, Italy, IUPAC, Labor, Los Alamos, Mineralogy, Nicolas-Louis Vauquelin, Nuclear Weapons, Pliny the Elder, Rome, United States

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As we try to dive deep into beryllium, we discover its irritating tendency to send us back to the beginning.

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