The Economic Times

Aluminium was once costlier than gold, with one pound priced at $550. French Emperor Napoleon IIIs favourites used aluminium cutlery. One 1886 invention made in an Ohio woodshed, changed its fate

Believe it or not, aluminium was once pricier than gold. Yes, you read that right! In the middle of the 19th century, one pound of aluminium cost more than $500. Today, one pound of this metal, which is used to make all sorts of objects from foils to cover food in to automobiles, will cost you barely more than a dollar. What caused this sharp fall from grace?