Germanium (Ge) is a chemical element with atomic number 32. It is a
lustrous, hard, greyish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically
similar to silicon (Si) and tin (Sn). In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev
predicted the existence of germanium (and later some of its properties)
based on its position in his periodic table (extract pictured). In 1886,
Clemens Winkler discovered the element in a rare mineral called
argyrodite. Mendeleev's predictions closely matched the properties of
germanium, and this contributed to the wider acceptance of his periodic
table. Germanium is a semiconductor used in transistors and various
electronic devices, fibre-optic systems, infrared optics, solar cell
applications, and light-emitting diodes. It is mined primarily from
sphalerite (a zinc ore), along with silver, lead, and copper ores.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanium>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1896:
Ethiopia defeated Italy at the Battle of Adwa, ending the First
Italo-Ethiopian War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Adwa>
1921:
The Australian cricket team, led by Warwick Armstrong, became
the first team to complete a whitewash in the Ashes, something that
would not be repeated for 86 years.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Armstrong>
1958:
Archbishop of Chicago Samuel Stritch was appointed Pro-Prefect
of the Propagation of Faith, becoming the first American member of the
Roman Curia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Stritch>
2014:
A group of knife-wielding men and women attacked passengers at
Kunming railway station in Kunming, China, leaving 31 victims and 4
perpetrators dead with more than 140 others injured.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Kunming_attack>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
pendragon:
Also capitalized as Pendragon: a title assumed by the ancient British
chiefs when called to lead other chiefs: chief war leader, dictator, or
king.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pendragon>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Pride is not a wise counselor. People who believe themselves to
be the incarnation of good have a distorted view of the world. The
absence of any obstacle to the deployment of strength is dangerous for
the strong themselves: passion takes precedence over reason. "No power
without limit can be legitimate," as Montesquieu wrote long ago.
Political wisdom does not consist in seeking only immediate victory, nor
does it require systematic preference of "us" over "them."
--Tzvetan Todorov
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tzvetan_Todorov>