Stainless steel not only revolutionized trains like the Burlington Zephyr. Take a look around the room you're in. Chances are you can see or at least think about many items that are made of steel. It's not easy to imagine modern life without this versatile metal, is it? Although the production of metals has been around for an awfully long time (the Iron Age began around the eighth century B.C.), it wasn't until the late nineteenth century that manufacturers learned how to mass produce metals inexpensively, and to forge a material as useful as stainless steel.

The Elements of Steel (68k)
Explore the composition of various types of iron and steel.
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Iron and Steel
Find out about the production of iron and steel and how it led to the development of stainless steel.

Stainless Steel
Discover how the development of stainless steel impacted technology.

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