Chemists of the Manhattan Project were having mythology trouble. They had created two new elements, Nos. 95 and 96 (TIME, Nov. 26). But when they tried to name them, they were stumped. Uranium (No. 92), neptunium (No. 93), plutonium (No. 94) had been named after the last three outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto,
For a while chemists called the new elements "pandemonium" and "delirium." Then one of them took a dive into Greek mythology and discovered that Pluto, god of Hades, had a goddess-friend, Persephone. Element 95, he suggested, should be named "persephonium."
But what about Element 96? Had the ruler of Hades no chick nor child? Pluto had kidnapped Persephone, and since Greek gods usually kidnapped because their hearts were in it, and goddesses were seldom barren, there might well have been a by-blow. Element 96. he reasoned, might be called "bastardium."
At this point, serious minds took charge again. Last fortnight, at the convention of the American Chemical Society in Atlantic City, Chemist Glenn T. Seaborg, chief human begetter of the two elements, officially named Element 95 "americium" (after the two Americas) and Element 96 "curium" (after the two Curies).