The E-Sylum:  Volume 10, Number 32, August 12, 2007, Article 31

FEATURED WEB PAGE: A SHORT HISTORY OF METALS

This week's featured web page is recommended by John and Nancy
Wilson, Ocala, FL.  They write: "Here is a great place to find
out everything you might want to know regarding metals.   The
title and credits are, 'A Short History of Metals', by Alan W.
Cramb, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie
Mellon University."

[I found the paper very interesting.  It's a short but thorough
overview of "what we knew when" about various metals.  What's most
fascinating is how mankind developed using so few metals.  "...
seven metals, known as the Metals of Antiquity, were the metals
upon which civilisation was based..."  (Gold, Copper, Silver, Lead,
Tin, Iron, Mercury)  "These metals were known to the Mesopotamians,
Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans."

"Currently there are 86 known metals. Before the 19th century only
24 of these metals had been discovered and, of these 24 metals, 12
were discovered in the 18th century. Therefore, from the discovery
of the first metals - gold and copper until the end of the 17th
century, some 7700 years, only 12 metals were known."

Featured Web Site

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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