It is only 160 years since the element aluminium was discovered and only 100 years since a viable production process was established, and today more aluminium is produced each year than all other non-ferrous metals combined.
Aluminium is the third most abundant element - comprising some 8 percent of the earth's crust. So, why was it not discovered sooner? The main reason is that aluminium never occurs naturally in metallic form. Aluminium is found in most rocks, clay, soil and vegetation combined with oxygen and other elements.