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.”