Weaponry – The Episodic Table of Elements

42. Molybdenum: Conventional Weapons

July 29, 2019

6:00 am

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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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35. Bromine: Come At Me

April 22, 2019

6:00 am

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Anarchism, Antoine Balard, Automobiles, Bonnot Gang, Bromo-Seltzer, Charles Lockock, Fritz Haber, Isaac Emerson, Justus von Liebig, Pharmaceuticals, Weaponry

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Don’t get too excited, because bromine is an element that brings the hammer down on both extreme emotions and extreme actions.

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23. Vanadium: Beauty In The Background

October 22, 2018

6:00 am

1 Comment on 23. Vanadium: Beauty In The Background

Abraham Wald, Alloys, Andres Manuel del Rio, Anthropology, Automobiles, Biology, Friedrich Wohler, Henry Ford, Jons Jacob Berzelius, Marine Biology, Multiple Discovery, Mythology, Nils Sefstrom, Star Trek, Weaponry, World War II

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From freeways to firefights to unfathomable depths, vanadium can often be found quietly doing the hardest work.

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18. Argon: More Than Meets The Eye

August 6, 2018

6:00 am

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Declaration of Independence, Glass, Illumination, Lasers, Oxidation, Preservation, Science Fiction, Surgery, Washington DC, Weaponry

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Today’s element gets called “lazy,” but that’s actually a terrible misnomer.

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