On February 23, 1886, Charles Hall discovered an inexpensive way to smelt aluminum.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3AUS-QQS-mss282/viewer

History of the Aluminum Company of America 1888-1998
The Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa), formerly the Pittsburgh Reduction Company, was incorporated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1888. The company was founded by George H. Clapp, Millard Hunsicker, Captain Alfred E. Hunt, Horace W. Lash, W.S. Sample, and Robert J. Scott, who contributed a total of $20,000 in capital. The formation of the company was made possible by a new process of smelting aluminum which was invented by Charles Martin Hall. On February 23, 1886, while working in a woodshed of his kitchen in Oberlin, Ohio, Charles Hall discovered an inexpensive way to smelt aluminum. Previously, aluminum was considered a semiprecious metal because of the expense involved in producing it. The discovery of an inexpensive way to smelt the metal ushered in a new era for aluminum.

[wolfie001]

1. Just a note:

*Give credit where credit is due-
'The Hall–Héroult process is an industrial method for extracting aluminum from its ore using electrolysis. The process was invented by Charles Martin Hall in 1886 and independently discovered by Paul Héroult around the same time.'

*Wikipedia

[mahatmakanejeeves]

2. I'll add this. Take some time to make any edits of your choice. Thanks. NT

[wolfie001]

4. Thanks!

So interesting how they applied the electric current at such an early period. No scientific training, so if I got anything wrong, apologies. Also, Michael Faraday is WAY underrated. Everyone should know him. Mendeleyev too. Cheers

[NNadir]

3. In recent times a similar process for titanium has been discovered.

It's the FFC Cambridge process.