One section of the Royal Society of Chemistry website is geared toward those in the general public with an interest in chemistry. Their Visual Elements Periodic Table is beautifully organized, with an image accompanying each element, and information about its date of discovery, name origin, and a brief description of its use.
There's also a visual timeline of significant events and advances in chemistry, from the Big Bang all the way to the possibility of thermonuclear fusion by 2050.
Links:
A Visual Interpretation of the Table of Elements
Chemsoc Timeline
Royal Society of Chemistry
Previously: The "Periodic Spiral"
Image: Plutonium (element 94), represented by the Hindu deity Shiva, from the Visual Elements Periodic Table.
