March 23, 1821: Bauxite Discovered EARTH Magazine
On March 23, 1821, a geologist named Pierre Berthier discovered a reddish, claylike material. He found that the substance, later named bauxite after the village, consisted of about 50 percent aluminum oxide. Berthier did not realize it at the time, but he had discovered today's most commonly used aluminum ore — the source of more than 99 ...