World War II – The Episodic Table of Elements

27. Cobalt: Mischief Managed

December 17, 2018

6:00 am

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Albert Einstein, Chien-Shiung Wu, Fallout, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Georg Brandt, Leo Szilard, Magnetism, Medicine, Mining, Mythology, Nobel Prizes, Nuclear Weapons, Parity, Radioactivity, Symmetry, Wolfgang Pauli, Women In Science, World War II

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Cobalt is a tricksy little element, which means the scientists who’ve dealt with it the most are some of the cleverest people to have ever walked the Earth.

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23. Vanadium: Beauty In The Background

by trappleton

October 22, 2018

6:00 am

1 Comment on 23. Vanadium: Beauty In The Background

Podcast

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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16. Sulfur: No Mistakes, Only Happy Accidents

by trappleton

July 9, 2018

6:00 am

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Podcast

Adolf Hitler, Calvin Coolidge, Charles Goodyear, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gerhard Domagk, Nazis, Nobel Prizes, Odor, Pharmaceuticals, Rubber, Satan, Thioacetone, Vulcanization, Vultures, Winston Churchill, World War II

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From Vulcan to vultures, today’s element brings stories of unintended consequences.

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15. Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil

by trappleton

June 11, 2018

6:00 am

2 Comments on 15. Phosphorus: Dealing With The Devil

Podcast

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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