In ancient times, Egyptians and early Americans used platinum for jewelry and decorative pieces. The first record of platinum dates back to 1557, when Italian physician Julius Scaliger described a metal found in Central America that wouldn’t melt. He called it “platina,” which means “little silver.”
Today, the primary uses of platinum are to make catalytic converters and jewelry.
But there are a number of surprising applications for this precious metal. Here are some of them.
