A reader: “Well, as long as we’re discussing Alexander’s Great

Accomplishments, I wonder how many people are aware of his contribution to

modern plumbing? In ancient Macedonia, the use of steel for kitchen and

bathroom sinks was just beginning to replace the less durable and more

brittle ceramic ones. Unfortunately, the state of the art in making

stainless steel had yet to be invented, and the sinks quickly rusted from

repeated exposure to water, turning an ugly brown. Alexander came upon the

notion of adding *molybdenum* to the molten mixture during forming. The

sinks could then resist rust for incredible lengths of time. Thus was born

the unbrownable moly sink.”