Early Life
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was born on February 8, 1834 in the Russian province of Siberia. He was born into an unusually large family; he may have had as many as 16 siblings, but the exact number is uncertain.
Mendeelev's father graduated from Saint Petersburg's Main Pedagogical Institute, a teacher training institution. When his father went blind, his mother re-opened the glass factory that had been opened by his father and then closed down. When Mendeleev was 13, his father died. When he was 15, the glass factory burned down.
At age 16, Mendeleev moved to Saint Petersburg with his family, which was Russia's capital at the time. He won a place at his father's old college, Saint Petersburg's Main Pedagogical Institute, because the head of the school had known his father. There, Mendeleev began his teacher training.
Mendeelev's father graduated from Saint Petersburg's Main Pedagogical Institute, a teacher training institution. When his father went blind, his mother re-opened the glass factory that had been opened by his father and then closed down. When Mendeleev was 13, his father died. When he was 15, the glass factory burned down.
At age 16, Mendeleev moved to Saint Petersburg with his family, which was Russia's capital at the time. He won a place at his father's old college, Saint Petersburg's Main Pedagogical Institute, because the head of the school had known his father. There, Mendeleev began his teacher training.