1913: English metallurgist Harry Brearley invents the steel and chromium alloy inox, known now as “stainless steel.” He is looking for a corrosion resistant alloy for gun barrels. This new alloy is called “Allegheny metal” and “Nirosta Steel” as it searches for a name. One journalist calls it “Unstainable Steel” in 1921. In 1929 it is used to make an entrance canopy for the Savoy Hotel in London. It is one of the most widely applicable man-made materials in the world, and is 100% recyclable.
