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
_______________________________ 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
_____________________________ 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
___________________________ 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