The New Year is upon us, and it’s a year that I’ve been waiting for, since it is the 150th anniversary of Mendeleev’s discovery of the periodic properties of the elements. Discovery is probably not the right word here, since other scientists had not only organized the elements in tables but also recognized their periodic properties. That said, Mendeleev is typically credited with the discovery because of what he did with the table of elements: he predicted the properties of undiscovered elements.

I could give a bit more history, but that would require writing words, and this is the internet, where words are not as cool as images, which are less cool than videos, especially those made by TED:

Since 2019 is the 150th anniversary of this event, the United Nations proclaim this year as the year of the periodic table. It is so cool that there’s even a website for showcasing events. Now you may be wondering what I may be planning, given that I regularly speak to a periodic table (and it responds). Mandy and I have been working on some plans and details will come in due time. However, here are some teasers:

• A living periodic table – where 118 students dance around in elemental fashion.
• A collectible card game – how many elements can you discover?
• A Victorian Tale of the Elements – what were scientists doing so long ago?
• Cupcakes – time to revisit an old friend of mine.

I have plenty of ideas for the upcoming year, and if all of the new changes in maintaining a WordPress website don’t drive me bonkers, I’ll actually share them here. If you’re as excited about the year of the periodic table as I am, be sure to subscribe to my website (the link is on the right … I think).