Why did Gandhi hate iodine? Why did the Japanese kill Godzilla with missiles made of cadmium? How did radium nearly ruin Marie Curie’s reputation? And why did tellurium lead to the most bizarre gold rush in history? The Periodic Table is one of our crowning scientific achievements, but it’s also a treasure trove of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The Disappearing Spoon delves into every single element on the table and explains each one's role in science, money, mythology, war, the arts, medicine, alchemy, and other areas of human history, from the Big Bang through the end of time.

Please join us as we kick off the International Year of the Periodic Table with a special presentation from Sam Kean, author of The Disappearing Spoon, Caesar’s Last Breath, The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, and The Violinist’s Thumb.

Celebrate the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT2019) with a Periodic Table of Cupcakes! Visit the American Chemical Society website to order your mix! http://bit.ly/PT-Cupcakes