How Did Humans Discover Aluminum?

How did humans discover aluminum, the most common metal in the Earth's crust, after walking over it for all of history? Kitchen foil was once a treasure for an emperor's table and the cap of the Washington Monument. This video traces how a hidden metal went from invisible to priceless to cheap. This video covers: • Why aluminum is almost never found as metal in nature • Alum, the medieval dye salt with a metal hidden inside • Davy, Ørsted and Wöhler and the first grains of aluminum • Napoleon III, Deville and "silver from clay" at the 1855 Paris exhibition • The aluminum cap of the Washington Monument and the Tiffany's window • Charles Martin Hall, Paul Héroult and the 1886 electrolysis breakthrough • How the price collapsed and what cheap aluminum built What's expensive today that you think will be as cheap as foil in 100 years? Tell us in the comments, and subscribe for more stories behind ordinary things. ────────── Sources: National Archives — "Aluminum Tip of the Washington Monument," Prologue Magazine, 2014 Fondation Napoléon — Rattle of the Prince Imperial (Bourdoncle, 1856) Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company — The 1903 Engine The Aluminum Association — Product Markets Wikipedia — History of aluminium Wikipedia — Aluminium Wikipedia — Hall–Héroult process Wikipedia — Washington Monument Wikipedia — Julia Brainerd Hall Chemistry Explained — Charles Hall Encyclopedia.com — Hall, Charles Mental Floss — "What's the Point of the Pyramid Atop the Washington Monument?" Disclaimer: For educational and entertainment purposes. Some interpretations are actively debated among researchers and may change as new evidence emerges. Not professional advice. #aluminum #historyofaluminum #halleroultprocess #washingtonmonument #napoleoniii #chemistryhistory #sciencehistory