The first periodic table was organized by Johann Döbereiner in 1817. He organized the 47 known elements into groups of three, or triads, based on similar qualities.

By 1853, there were 56 discovered elements. John Newlands, an English chemist, organized them into 11 groups based on their similarities.

In 1869, there were still only 60 identified elements. Chemist Dimitri Mendeleev developed a new periodic table with those elements based on atomic mass. Most readers may know him as the Father of the Periodic Table because his design is the one we still go by today.

Mendeleev’s design split the periodic table into rows and columns and even left predictive spaces for future element discoveries.

Not everyone in modern times is excited about that layout though. There are some who feel that the periodic table of elements should be linear.

In 1933, chemist and sci-fi author John Clark created a race-track-like table. In 1960 Theodor Benfey proposed the spiral periodic table which looked kind of like a snail. In 1975 chemist James F. Hyde created the curled-ribbon periodic table. Visit GalChimia.com to see these fanciful and fantastic illustrations and more.

Speaking of fanciful and fantastic – have you heard of the Photographic Periodic Table? How about the Periodic Table of Typefaces? Or the Periodic Table of Pinecones? There’s also a Periodic Table of Comic Books? If you’re into dragons, you might be interested in this Periodic Table of Dragons.

“What about unicorns?”, you may be asking about now. . . The answer is

YES

Introducing the Inter-Active Unicorn-Themed Periodic Table

Every single element is represented by an elemental unicorn from the Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented Alphabetically by The Metal Horn Unicorns book. Use it free now.