Aluminum in America

<p> The history of aluminum: metallurgy engineering global business and politics--and the advance of civilization itself. The earth's most abundant metal aluminum remained largely inaccessible until after the Industrial Revolution. A precious commodity in 1850s it later became a strategic resource: while steel won World War I aluminum won World War II.</p><p> A generation later it would make space travel possible and the 1972 Pioneer spacecraft would carry a message from mankind to extraterrestrial life engraved on an aluminum plate. Today aluminum along with oil is the natural resource driving geopolitics and China has taken the lead in manufacture.</p>