Steel and Its Role in Human History
Steel is one of the most abundant elements in our planet. Thanks to its characteristics, it has been a long time since it became one of humanity’s most important materials. Saying that its discovery — as well as the ways to use it — have shaped the world as we know it today, would not be an exaggeration.
Trains, ships, planes, cars, tools, guns, cooking utensils, knives, axes, accessories such as necklaces, structures like towers, bridges, and vehicles such as motorcycles are, among countless others, part of our daily life that would not exist if not for the use of steel as one of their main components. This demonstrates just how important this material has been for the whole of humanity.
Nowadays, it remains one of the main materials that the world’s economy revolves around, to the point in which the US decided to tax the material usually imported from China; a decision that will undoubtedly have worldwide ramifications and will greatly affect the material’s price.
What Made Steel Such an Indispensable Tool for Humanity?
It took some time before men understood how to best work the material, mainly because they lacked the necessary furnaces, which require high levels of heat in order to melt it. Centuries would go by before the first one was created, but once it did, steel became more valuable than gold, and was only used in accessories.
When it came to weapons, steel became fundamental in the creation of sword and knives Sharp enough to go through enemy armor, forever changing the way war was fought. So, as you can see, it has been a history-changing material.
Even today, constant technological advances help create new techniques and compounds that use steel as its main ingredient, allowing us to make even greater and better use of it while also reducing costs and increasing resistance. As such, we can be sure that the near future will see countless new inventions that will use this material as its main component.
