134-Year-Old Periodic Table Unearthed

I have a fascination with the periodic table. I’ve blogged about it A LOT. Here are just a few examples:

• Redecorating? Consider A Periodic Table Table
• Lights, Camera, Periodic Table Of Elements And Action
• Summer Reading Takes Aim At The Periodic Table
• 100 Things To Ponder About The Periodic Table
• Visual Periodic Table Features Fun Elements

And guess what? This post will be added to the list and I know it won’t be the last. Especially when other media outlets find the table as interesting as I do.

Indeed, a recent article in The Guardian details the unearthing of one of the oldest surviving wall charts. It was found in Scotland. According to the article, “The chart was found during a clean-out at the University of St Andrews in 2014 and appears to date from 1885 – 16 years after the Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev published his method of showing the relationships between the elements in 1869.”

I think my fascination with the table began in the 11th grade. One of my favorite teachers, Mr. Venefra, had the chart proudly displayed in his classroom and I can still picture his animated lectures in front of it. He’d get red-faced when he got really excited -- or really mad. But he always had the same goal: To make his students appreciate chemistry. I wrote about him in another blog, in case you’re interested: Did Big Hair Put A Hole In The Ozone Layer? (Added bonus: You get to see my senior picture with hair so high it made me 4 inches taller).

And be sure to also jump over to The Guardian article to read the full account of the 134-year-old discovery.