Today in history: Dmitri Mendeleev

Hello Steemians!

Welcome to today's episode of the "Today in History" serial, where I bring you daily historical facts and events of the current date.

On February 8. 1834. Dimitri Mendeleev, the father of the periodic table was born!

He was born Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev in Verkhnie Aremzyani, a small village near Tobolsk in Siberia.
It is believed that he was the youngest of either 11, 13, 14 or 17 siblings.
At the age of 13, Dmitri started attending a Gymnasium in Tobolsk.

In 1849. the family moved to Saint Petersburg where Dmitri studied at the Main Pedagogical Institute.
In 1855. he moved to the Crimean Peninsula, reason being him getting tuberculosis.
Dmitri lived in the Crimean peninsula for two years before moving back to Saint Petersburg, meanwhile becoming a science master at the Simferopol Gymnasium.

In 1864. Mendeleev became a professor at the Saint Petersburg Technological Institute and in 1865. on the State Universisty.
As he was writing textbooks for his chemistry courses in 1867. he discovered patterns which eventually led to the design of the periodic table we know today.
He claimed that he has dreamed of the table and based it on the dream, only needing to correct one place later.
On March 6. 1869. he presented his periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society.

Mendeleev, predicted eight new elements and published his periodic table based on atomic weight and valence in a Russian journal.
He accurately predicted the quantity of missing elements and the qualities of three of the eight missing elements, germanium, gallium and scandium.

Throughout his life he was seen as an exceptional chemist, and was also one of the founders of the Russian Chemical Society.
He was the one to introduce the metric system to the Russian Empire and has invented pyrocollodion, a smokeless powder.

Dmitri Mendeleev died on February 2. 1907. at the age of 72. of a flue in Saint Petersburg.
In his honor the Mendeleev crater on the Moon is named, as well as the 101 element, mendelevium.