The History of Platinum — The Metal Spain Threw Away
Relics & Realms
38,690 views
The History of Platinum — The Metal Spain Threw Away
In the eighteenth century, Spanish naval officers seized a massive fortune in South American ore, hauled it out to the open ocean, and deliberately dumped it overboard. They believed this strange, un-meltable silvery dust was a worthless weed choking their gold mines, legally mandating its destruction to prevent counterfeiting. They had no idea they were tossing away a material rarer and far more indestructible than the gold they kept.
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 The Cargo Dumped at Sea
1:56 The Unripe Gold of the Chocó
3:49 The Counterfeit Coin Crisis
5:38 Smuggling the Little Silver
7:23 The Fire That Wasn't Hot Enough
9:18 The Secret Lab at Vergara
11:09 The First Unbreakable Ingot
12:53 A Chalice for Pope Pius VI
14:52 Wollaston's Lethal Acid Bath
16:57 The Indestructible Kilogram
18:39 The Russian Platinum Ruble
20:44 The Catalyst Anomaly
22:51 Refining Aviation Fuel for the Allies
24:43 The South African Impact Crater
26:35 Two Miles Below the Surface
28:34 Scrubbing the Seventies Smog
30:26 The Hydrogen Cell Bottleneck
32:30 The Converter Under Your Car
If this surprised you, subscribe for more hidden histories behind the objects you use every day.
#history #documentary #platinum
15 Comments
At 26:43 I don't care who you are that is inhumane treatment for a human being.
The owners should be hauled down there at 120° and see how they work the mine.
The History of Platinum — The Metal Spain Threw Away
Relics & Realms
38,690 views
The History of Platinum — The Metal Spain Threw Away
In the eighteenth century, Spanish naval officers seized a massive fortune in South American ore, hauled it out to the open ocean, and deliberately dumped it overboard. They believed this strange, un-meltable silvery dust was a worthless weed choking their gold mines, legally mandating its destruction to prevent counterfeiting. They had no idea they were tossing away a material rarer and far more indestructible than the gold they kept.
⏱ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 The Cargo Dumped at Sea
1:56 The Unripe Gold of the Chocó
3:49 The Counterfeit Coin Crisis
5:38 Smuggling the Little Silver
7:23 The Fire That Wasn't Hot Enough
9:18 The Secret Lab at Vergara
11:09 The First Unbreakable Ingot
12:53 A Chalice for Pope Pius VI
14:52 Wollaston's Lethal Acid Bath
16:57 The Indestructible Kilogram
18:39 The Russian Platinum Ruble
20:44 The Catalyst Anomaly
22:51 Refining Aviation Fuel for the Allies
24:43 The South African Impact Crater
26:35 Two Miles Below the Surface
28:34 Scrubbing the Seventies Smog
30:26 The Hydrogen Cell Bottleneck
32:30 The Converter Under Your Car
If this surprised you, subscribe for more hidden histories behind the objects you use every day.
#history #documentary #platinum