Dmitri Mendeleev presents his periodic table of chemical elements

The ever-humble Isaac Newton, in a letter to a colleague, credited the inspiration for a lot of his work to the Renaissance philosopher Renee Descartes. “If I have seen further,” he wrote, “it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” Scientific progress, in other words, is rarely a case of spontaneous individual discovery, but rather a slow building up of knowledge. The 17th and 18th century saw the formation of chemical science, with scientists noting patterns and regularities in the chemical elements. In the 19th century, German chemist Johann Dobereiner further refined the idea with his Law of Triads. Fifty years later, several chemists begin organizing the elements by weight onto a table, and the credit usually goes to the Russian Dmitri Mendeleev for creating the modern-day table of elements.

On this day, March 6, in 1869, Mendeleev made a formal presentation of his findings to the Russian Chemistry Society. He not only outlined the organizing principle behind the chart, but also predicted the discovery of elements missing from it.

Though showing an aptitude for mathematics and science from an early age, Mendeleev was not considered a great student due to this dislike of literature and classical languages. His father taught literature and philosophy at Mendeleev’s hometown, and a background in the classics was thought to be the foundation for a solid education. Mendeleev, though obviously bright, was denied admission to prestigious Moscow and St. Petersburg universities due to his lackluster academic record in the classics.