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You say aluminum, I say aluminium 1. Before we start praising the utility of the light yet sturdy element with the symbol Al and the atomic number 13, let's dither about what to call it.

If British scientist Sir Humphrey Davy had prevailed in 1807, we'd all be calling it alumium. That's the name he came up with when he first identified its pure metallic form. (The ancient Greeks and Romans, who'd used it as a dye and to dress wounds in its naturally occurring compound form, started the ball rolling by calling it alumen.) However, Sir Humphrey changed his mind and decided on aluminum instead. But then the scientific community in Europe went with aluminium to make it conform with most other elements ending in -ium. Both spellings were in use for another 100 years, which didn't matter much because it was a rare and very expensive product. But when mass production began early last century, one major manufacturer opted for the moniker Aluminum Company of America (i.e. Alcoa), cementing that spelling in the United States and Canada; although, to further confuse things, its then-Canadian subsidiary stuck with aluminium in the corporate name up to 2001, when it became simply Alcan Inc.

Europe and the rest of the world loved the extra “i” so much, they couldn't let go of their beloved “aluminium,” except for a few anarchists like the Czechs, who threw us a total curveball by calling the metal hliníkový. By the way, everyone (thankfully) agrees that the aluminum oxide ore used in smelting the metal should be called alumina.

Beyond Reynolds Wrap

2. It's not only the Earth crust's most abundant metal – it has transformed how we fly, drive, sail, build and consume beer. Over 30 million tonnes of the stuff are produced each year and demand continues to rise. Aluminum doesn't rust, it absorbs most of the kinetic energy from impacts, and is a lot lighter than steel. No wonder it's the metal of choice in commercial aviation and is overtaking the use of steel in body and engine parts for cars, from the sleek Audi A8 to the pedestrian-crushing Hummer. Most rail cars, from subway trains to the bullet trains of France and Japan, are nowadays made from you-know-what, too.

Aluminum is also highly reflective and used in mirrors and microscopes, and its superconductivity makes it de rigueur in overhead power lines, electrical wiring, and even the base of most light bulbs. Half the world's cookware is made of aluminum, as the metal loses only a small fraction of the heat. Then there's the construction industry, where the metal's lightness, durability and insulating properties have a thousand uses, from windows to doors to guttering. On the downside, it gave rise to the blight of aluminum siding.

As for that aluminum can of Coke or Carling you're sipping from, it weighs less than half what it did when the good old “tinnie” was made of steel. So when it comes to all those YouTube videos of buxom ladies crushing drinks cans with their chest – well, let's just thank aluminum for making it all possible.

Will Aluminum make me lose my mind?

3. Not unless you crash your Hummer at 150 km/h. A few years ago, researchers into Alzheimer's disease found high concentrations of the metal in the brains of some patients with the disease, leading to a scare. However, no causal link has since been proven, and even the Alzheimer's Society has stated that genetic and other environmental factors are more likely to cause the disease.

In fact, the magic metal is used widely in health and hygiene. Aluminum hydroxide is a common antacid and an additive to vaccines to help stimulate antibodies; while aluminum sulphate has a role in water treatment, eliminating solid matter and pathogens. And going on dates would be even more stressful without aluminum chlorhydrate, the major agent in antiperspirants.

So what would Al Gore think of it?

4. The global warming guru would probably be torn on this one. Producing aluminum from its base ore, bauxite, is hugely energy intensive and a major contributor to greenhouse gas. One study in 1999 measured emissions at around 7.4 tonnes of CO{-2} to produce one tonne of the finished metal, although new smelting technologies are reducing the pollutant. (The energy consumption can be so expensive that Alcan, for one, owns its own hydroelectric plants in Quebec and British Columbia to control costs and cut down on CO{-2}).

On the plus side, greenies get excited by the huge savings in fuel from having lighter modes of transportation made of aluminum. And as that old guy who goes through your blue bin for used cans will tell you, the recycling of aluminum is big. Many countries recycle up to 90 per cent of aluminum cans, and they are usually back on the shelves as a born-again can within two months.

It's just not cricket

5. Aluminum has been an accepted substitute for dead trees in baseball bats for years — albeit not in the major leagues. The metal also rocked the world of cricket in 1979, when maverick Australian star Dennis Lillee walked onto the field in a match against England carrying an aluminum bat. For a game whose fans can debate for hours the sensual qualities of just the right willow needed for the perfect bat, the sight of aluminum was nothing less than an affront to Western civilization.

After the Aussie had hit the ball for a few runs, the English captain complained to the umpires that the metal bat was damaging the ball; Mr. Lillee's own captain also ordered him to replace it with a wooden bat, which he refused. After a standoff of many minutes, the batsman relented. Sales of the new-fangled bats briefly soared, but the international cricket body moved quickly to issue a ban, and metal bats were never seen again.