How the Elements Got Their Names | Distillations

“There are bright spots. Some of the vignettes, such as that of cobalt, point us to stories we likely would never have discovered on our own. Wothers also provides surprises about what we assume we know. Take polonium, one of the radioactive elements discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie. It’s named for Poland, yes? Marie Curie (née Maria Skłodowska) was Polish born; of course she would name an element she discovered after her home country.”

Read the Article | Distillations | Sarah Reisert

Thumbnail Imagery: Dalton’s Elements List /John Dalton, 1808 / Джон Дальтон, 1808, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Homepage Imagery: Snyder, Frank R. Flickr: Miami U. Libraries - Digital Collections, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons