Dimitri Mendeleyev

Dmitri Mendeleyev

Not many people would look at a periodic table and think of it as an inspiration, but I do. Although Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleyev was a poor Russian peasant, he created one of science’s greatest necessities, the periodic table of the elements. He has inspired me to be a scientist when I grow up, and that is why he is MY HERO!

Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleyev was born on February 7th 1834 in Tobolsk, Siberia. One of Mendeleyev’s greatest accomplishments was creating The Periodic Table of the Elements, a scientific tool still used today even though it was made in 1855. Some of Mendeleyev’s greatest struggles were getting tuberculosis and recovering from it. His mother, father, and sister all died of tuberculosis. Another one of his greatest struggles was his father becoming blind. One other struggle was his mother’s glass factory burning down. It was devastating because he was 12. He went to St. Petersburg University and won Student of the Year, even though he was suffering from tuberculosis. Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleyev died of influenza at the age of 73.

Dmitri Mendeleyev was VERY busy

Some of Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleyev’s admirable accomplishments are; The Periodic Table of the Elements, teaching chemistry to students and peasants, found correct atomic weight of gallium: 5.9 while the person who discovered gallium said the atomic weight was 4.8. It is slightly unfair that Dmitri Ivanovitch Mendeleyev’s Periodic Table got all the reward because Lothar Meyer came out with the same findings in 1870 even though he did not copy Mendeleyev. Dmitri Mendeleyev was very kind to the poor peasants and even gave them a little money, and that is why I look up to him.

Dmitri Mendeleyev helped many people around the world by organizing the elements in an easy to use table. By doing that, it changed the way science looked at all the elements. People respected him after many, many years and people will probably respect him many years from now too. All these reasons are why Dmitri Mendeleyev is MY HERO!