Chemistry plays an important role in Big History. The elements born out of the death of stars are what connect our world today with the stars, their death, and the birth of the Universe. The world around us today is an ode to chemistry and one chemist in particular, Dmitri Mendeleev. Inspired by a simple game of solitaire, Mendeleev found a brilliant new way to organize the elements into the periodic table we know today.
Driving Question: How can a new point of view pave the way for progress?
- Have you ever changed your mind? When we invite new minds to think about old problems the result is often new inventions. Changes in thinking and ideas are often the key to igniting historical change. The field of chemistry we know today was shaped over time by the introduction of new ideas. In fact, the periodic table of the elements hanging in your chemistry classroom is the product of this kind of historical change. In the past, people had some pretty wild ideas about the elements that made up the Universe. A simple card game of solitaire changed all that!
Word of the Day: Periodic Table of the Elements
- Definition: The generally accepted system for organizing the known chemical elements.
- Our current periodic table was created by Russian chemist, Dmitri Mendeleev, in 1869. His original table left gaps for the discovery of new elements, many of which we’ve filled in since then.
Lesson
- Go to Khan Academy and watch the video Crash Course Chemistry: Periodic Table of Elements.
- In this episode, Hank Green gives us a tour of the most important table ever, including the life story of the obsessive man who championed it, Dmitri Mendeleev. As you watch, think about how Mendeleev’s new point of view paved the way for progress.
Historian’s Journal Prompt
- What are the positive outcomes of the coronavirus pandemic? How have new points of view come together to pave the way for positive progress?
- Our world has changed exponentially over the course of a few weeks, but could some of these changes be for the better? People are finding innovative ways to help, new ways to connect, and the planet might even be getting healthier in the process. Today in your historian’s journal, write about the silver linings you’ve seen come out of this pandemic.
