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

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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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