History
2001 marked the 250th anniversary of the discovery of nickel.
Although nickel has been found in metallic artifacts dating back more than 2,000 years, it was first identified by the Swedish chemist, Axel Cronstedt, in 1751. In the 19th century, it came to prominence in plating and in alloys such as nickel silver (German silver) in which it is alloyed with copper and zinc. Following the discovery of stainless steel early in the 20th century, nickel has enjoyed a very strong growth of demand and continues to do so.
