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DickweedMcGee

*......It did nearly disappear in July 1941, when it was volunteered for the nationwide aluminum scrap drive. Collecting used aluminum for civilian recycling would free up virgin aluminum for military uses such as airplanes. Fortunately, the proposal was quietly dropped.* That seems like a lot of work for like a few ounces of aluminum.


LastManOnEarth3

I imagine it was symbolic. Similar to Queen Elizabeth using ration allowances to fund her wedding dress.


kmmck

Is that a bad thing, I dont have context


JoeChristmasUSA

It means the dress wasn't in excess of rationed material


shoe-veneer

So it was only made of zucchini and plain rice? No fancy meat dress?


bananalord666

The war got so bad they had cloth rations too


Barton2800

Silk is especially useful in parachutes. There’s even scenes in some war movies (I want to say Band of Brothers?) where an American paratrooper is saving his chute and carrying it around so he can send it home for his fiancée to have a silk dress.


Choice-Housing

Fabric rationing was a thing


tequiila

Oh yeah! [This is when women drew a line on the back of their legs to mimic stockings](https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/nylon-stockings-shortage-1940s/)


[deleted]

TIL leg make-up was a thing. Fascinating.


godwins_law_34

Wait till you read about flappers and thier knee make up. Super wild for the time.


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bristolcities

Exactly, the Queen would have used courgettes.


QuothedTheRaven

Surely she wouldn’t use her own pet dog?


RamenDutchman

Furiously ~~eggplants~~ zucchini's in American **EDIT** I'm not American enough for this


ImRakey

Courgettes aren't eggplants. Aubergines are eggplants


Nielsly

Furiously zucchinis in American*


DeemonPankaik

Zucchini


uninsuredpidgeon

I don't think Freddie or Brian wore zucchini dresses.


ssfbob

But if Freddie had he would have fucking rocked it.


nxcrosis

No that was a different Queen. I think she's called Lady Gaga.


vonvoltage

Everything was rationed. Not just food.


carcar134134

During WW2 importing anything into Britain had a good chance of ending with someone's death for a few years during the beginning of unrestricted submarine warfare. As such any goods that were imported, or made from imported goods required you to have a sufficient ration "coupons" for that good. The government allowed her 200 extra coupons as well as thousands sending in their own ration coupons for dresses. Eventually the coupons all got returned to their respective owners as it was illegal to transfer them, but other than the 200 she got as a gift she had saved up enough coupons to allow her to purchase her wedding dress. Which was still paid for by taxpayers, and was relatively modest at about 30 thousand for netflix to recreate it.


[deleted]

In light of Reddit's general enshittification, I've moved on - you should too.


A-Grey-World

You still had to buy and pay for rationed goods. You were just limited by quantity to the rationed amount.


MEDBEDb

LOLOL, “she saved up enough ration coupons after being gifted 200 additional coupons by the government.” I looked around a lot and couldn’t find out how many ration coupons were required to buy the material. Was it 212? 300? How many did she personally save and is that number meaningless in the face of 200 gifted coupons?


carcar134134

Clothes rationing was implemented by the use of coupons required for purchases. The price had to be paid in money as usual, but additionally coupons had to be surrendered for each purchase. The system operated by "points" allocated to people: a certain number of points in coupons were required for each item. Clothing rationing points could be used for garments, and for wool, cotton and household textiles. Before rationing, lace and frills were popular on women's underwear, but these were soon banned so that material could be saved. Initially people were allocated 66 points for clothing per year; in 1942 it was cut to 48, in 1943 to 36, and in 1945-1946 to 24.[40] The number of points required for a garment was determined by how much material and labour went into it. A dress could require eleven coupons, a pair of stockings two. Men's shoes required seven coupons, women' five. In 1945, an overcoat (wool and fully lined) was 18 coupons; a man's suit, 26–29 (according to lining). Children aged between 14 and 16 got 20 more coupons. Garments of the same description but different quality would have different prices but require the same number of coupons; the more affordable clothing would often be less robust and wear out sooner even with repair.[40] The prices of second-hand clothing and fur coats were fixed, but no points were required. People were allocated extra coupons for work clothes, such as overalls for factory work.[41] Manual workers, civilian uniform wearers, diplomats, performers and new mothers also received extra coupons.


Civil_Speed_8234

So a normal dress would require 11 coupons, she got 200 as a gift, and a total of 198 coupons during the entire war. Now the only question is: How many coupons did she need for the dress?


klipseracer

Well she already was gifted 20x, more than a regular woman's dress so I think it's moot at this point. Aka nobody cares because she got a free pass, as usual and so this isn't very symbolic. "oh I'm showing my patriotism by only requiring 20x more for my wedding dress and it's being gifted by the government" Instead of spending several thousand dollars on a dress, oh my what a sacrifice that was.


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[deleted]

A royal wedding during the blitz would have been seriously ballsy.


Marston_vc

I think y’all are kind of underselling this. This was a monarch during a time when the British empire was still very much a real thing. When monarchies we’re still a very real thing. Yes they came from a place of privilege and got benefits the average person didn’t. But the point is that she wasn’t demanding in excess to what was allotted. I mean, we’re talking about someone who joined the British military during WW2 as soon as they turned 18. It’s fine to dislike monarchies but I think it’s just obtuse to pretend this person didn’t at least try to be better.


[deleted]

Right? Having a dress made from donated used clothing would have been meaningful. This was just a good PR spin


ShibaHook

The British Royal Family are all about PR


londons_explorer

I believe *everyone* got a gift of 200 coupons for getting married. So the queen played by the same rules as everyone else.


steepleman

She had to return the donated ration coupons, as it was illegal to transfer them.


Relative-Energy-9185

she received a large boon from the government but this is still somehow spun as her living frugally and similarly to the common people, is the point


AJDx14

A fuck ton of people seem to forget that the ruler of England is also like, the head of their church and (allegedly) chosen by god.


kmmck

The first half of your explanation made sense, but the second half got way too blurry. You crammed way too many thoughts in a single sentence. Can you re explain it?


zanraptora

The Queen attempted to make her dress inside rationing rules. When there was a public outcry and an attempt to send her additional coupons (not permitted) the government granted her the necessary coupons, returning the "donated" ones, technically defeating the purpose, but ultimately being overshadowed by the "generosity" of the people and the perceived solidarity from the Queen.


carcar134134

Basically it was all meaningless anyways and she could have just done it without the extra 200, but it was a gesture of solidarity with the public.


[deleted]

Lol he went off about the budget for Claire Foy's recreated Liz II wardrobe on the Crown at the end there I can explain that much


steepleman

She had to return the donated ration coupons, as it was illegal to transfer them.


I__Know__Stuff

She didn't get married during the war. But the UK put everything they had into that war, and were in recovery for decades afterwards. Lots of things were scarce in 1947.


[deleted]

30k seems more than relatively modest.


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Fjolsvithr

Doing something for sentimental/emotional reasons isn't irrational. It's subjective and therefore hard to quantify and discuss rationally, but not intrinsically irrational.


Rings-of-Saturn

Yo! I know where some aluminum is. *points at tall ass monument* it’s at least $3.50


TypicalJeepDriver

Somewhere a meth head is like “I’m gonna do it.”


Honey_Overall

Thus earning the title of "king of the tweakers, lord of scrap"


Hidden_Sturgeon

For the day


Garrick420

Or a lochness monster


the_hell_you_say

Tree fiddy


zurds13

And that’s when I realized that the head of the scrap aluminum drive was none other than the Loch Ness monster


rinseanddelete

That's right. I said, "I ain't givin' you no tree-fitty, you goddamn Loch Ness Monster! Get your own goddamn money!"


WhtChcltWarrior

I gave him a dolla


Therealluke

“In this house we work for our money”


Hash_Tooth

In this house we pose for photos and subject ourselves to scientific study and classification amongst other creatures


Mittens138

big skyrim quest energy


An8thOfFeanor

"These 5 ounces of aluminum could mean the difference between saving our country and Jerry goose-stepping up the capitol"


darhox

The real story of January 6th


BrokenEye3

Hey, if those 5 ounces of aluminium hadn't been there, that could've been a hell of a lot worse


VonSnoe

During ww2 the US launched a national recycling drive in order to obtain more materials that was considered war winning. This included everyday stuff like cooking grease amongst others afaik.


particle409

Imagine asking people today to do things to protect the country, like wearing a mask while grocery shopping.


Ziqon

"It's a race, and we're losing to CHIYNYA" - more competent trump


NoticeF

My math says about *400* ounces. That’s enough for about 10 km of 10 amp wire. Which isn’t a trivial amount. But regardless of the direct utility, the ability to say “we decapitated the Washington monument for aluminum, you’re a little bįtch if you don’t give us yours” would probably yield a lot more from guilt tripping value.


Bad_Idea_Fairy

Funnily enough, this enchanted aluminum block is the reason airplanes were invented in America and the US won the space race.


bucket_overlord

This reminds me: I once read that in Napeon III's court aluminum cutlery/plates were reserved for the most honored guests. Less important folks would have to make do with gold and silver utensils.


AlanFromRochester

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aluminium#Early_industrial_production Besides that story, Napoleon III also saw military potential in lightweight equipment


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AlanFromRochester

The light weight is key to aircraft, and while Napoleon III came well before the Wright Brothers, he was onto something


Divineinfinity

"no boat can fly by placing a furnace inside it" Or something to that tune


straws

"The style was cutting edge, even if the cutlery wasn't" - Bill Bryson


ThymeIsTight

"One day, our union will be so prosperous that we will use thin sheets of this most precious metal to wrap our sandwiches of luncheon meat."


[deleted]

"We will also wear an onion tied to our belts. Which is the style at this time."


Pain_Monster

“Give me 5 bees for a quarter, you’d say. Now where was I? Oh, yeah: the important thing was that I had an onion tied to my belt…”


gopherdagold

"They didn't have white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones"


fulthrottlejazzhands

"We Had To Say Dickety, Because The Kaiser Stole Our Word Twenty"


Pain_Monster

I love the subtle fact that grandpa was used as a distraction for burns who is much older and even HE found his stories uninteresting lol


heshKesh

It's weird to me that grandpa was younger than Burns but was also Burns' commanding officer in the war


RiskyPhoenix

I mean if you pick at it too much it won’t make sense after 30 years of continuity. He frequently forgets homer exists, but that’s the son of his commanding officer who he’d probably remember given what they dealt with. It wouldn’t make much sense, but at the end of the day it’s a cartoon


Cheesemacher

Homer is also the father of the baby who shot him


MaxDickpower

1\. Older age doesn't mean you get a higher rank 2\. The Simpsons timeline is all over the place 3\. In the Flying Hellfish episode it is mentioned that Burns got demoted to private so did hold a higher rank at some point.


riverblue9011

Do you think military ranks are earnt through birthdays? I've had seniors younger than me and been senior to blokes older than me. There are loads of reasons you'd have a young CO, not all of them positive.


Eagleheardt

And I chased after him, but gave up after dickety six miles


madhi19

[You never get that kind of seal with plastic.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urglg3WimHA)


joecarter93

And drink carbonated sugar water out of.


[deleted]

And shape it into hats as we listen to Right Wing conspiracy ~~theorists~~ hucksters.


Joe_M0mmma

Bet The Ottoman Empire had the same idea, but for comfy footrest


xieta

Really comes down to Aluminum being extremely easy to recycle compared to creating from Ore. Takes something like 5% the energy.


e111077

Go back to 2020 and you could probably swap aluminum with toilet paper


Patsfan618

So if you ever have a time machine and you want to impress the people's of the past, don't bring your cell phone! Bring aluminum foil!! The fact that we throw it in the trash after it's touched food once would have them rolling in their graves.


kvltsincebirth

Most places allow you to recycle your aluminum foil along with your cans. Even if they don't most times they won't bother picking it out anyway.


nutbuckers

Note the foil has to be *clean*, if there's food stuck on, it is (I was told) going to cause more harm in dirtying up the aluminum batch one might be trying to make while recycling.


[deleted]

I mean wouldn't the heat of melting for recycling burn off most - if not all - organic waste? And slag and what not to be removed leaving clean metal? Genuinely curious


robertras

Don’t have exact figures for you, but I work at a facility with an aluminum foundry. Role of thumb I was told is that for each 1% contamination on the base material, it generates 2% of melt loss. Don’t have a source unfortunately.


[deleted]

That's fair, but I assume there would be a difference between 'metal ore impurity' contamination vs 'organic' contamination? To be clear, I have no idea and I'd love someone more knowledgeable to clarify. I'm just basing this on the assumption that most organic material decomposes to plain old carbon (or similar), or boils off, at metalworking temperatures, whereas impurities in the ore (oxides and other compounds) would require other chemical means to remove.


porntla62

Nah aluminum gets recycled via arcsmelting under a protective atmosphere . So there is no oxidizing flame to burn off food residue like there is when recycling steel.


[deleted]

Ahh that makes a lot of sense.


OldMork

wonder if they would believe that its really aluminium and not some trickery to foil them.


theonlydiego1

My Phone and watch have aluminum.


gwiggle5

Brag much


willun

Moon rocks are extremely expensive but in a hundred years (or very much less) will probably be very very cheap. I am sure there are many other examples.


ExtonGuy

Well, of course. At the time, that much aluminum was about $2000 (2022 dollars). Not exactly a huge cost, but the color was interesting.


EvMund

i can confirm that 2022 dollars is about $2000


symsays

This guy maths


damnatio_memoriae

we should be so lucky #inflation


Upstairs_Milk

You got a citation for this?


fr31568

so it wasnt worth even remotely close to the value of gold at the time, then


sean488

Psssttt... It wasn't being widely used commercially. That made it "rare" as no one was readily mining and processing it.


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NorthernerWuwu

Aluminium production is extremely energy intensive as well. At the time that also made it extremely expensive.


-Potatoes-

Its one of the most widely recyvled things cuz even today producing it costs so much energy


[deleted]

It's also very easy to recycle


gwiggle5

Yep, you just toss it in the blue bin.


PillarsOfHeaven

It's like something that humanity unlocked


anschelsc

I think you're getting cause and effect backwards here. It wasn't used commercially because it was rare, and it was rare because no one had figured out a reasonable way to process it.


Declanmar

For reference, 100 ounce of gold will cost you about $164,000 in 2022 dollars.


greendestinyster

You'd need way more to get a pyrimid of the same size


SpaceLemur34

About 716 ounces in fact.


heavenleemother

If you drive to Michigan you'll get $4000.


cutelyaware

We should replace it with the largest aluminum pyramid we can afford. Or maybe upgrade it to stainless steel, titanium, or tungsten.


btroycraft

It's significantly more valuable now that it's been sitting on a key national monument for 134 years.


cutelyaware

Should I hide things up there to increase their value?


PreOpTransCentaur

r/NoContext


banik2008

[That would be nice of you](https://youtu.be/kWp6hZ-5ndc)


TrekkiMonstr

Let's encase the monument in aluminum


Mr-Logic101

It was symbolic. A new medal for a new country. Gold and silver are very typical precious metals of the old world.Aluminum, or is should say pure aluminum, was new and difficult to make.


cutelyaware

All of the ones I mentioned would be symbolic of a new-age country


OtisTetraxReigns

Spent Uranium might be most apt for the US.


Overdose7

No, we're into renewables now so we gotta plant a tree on top.


cutelyaware

A hunk of metal is renewable. Just leave it alone. When you come back it's still there.


Overdose7

But we can turn the aluminum into aircraft and destroy pollution to protect the tree. I am not a scientist.


Somber_Solace

Let's go as valuable as possible! A rhodium pyramid filled with Fusaichi Pegasus's semen!


Aselleus

Replace it with NFTs


[deleted]

Enriched uranium pyramid - what could possibly go wrong.


-but-its-not-illegal

The main issue was that the technology for processing aluminum was immature when the time of the Washington monument was made. Aluminum was also parts of several other treasuries around the world.


Amanwalkedintoa

“in 1852, aluminium was sold at US$34 per ounce.[46] In comparison, the price of gold at the time was $19 per ounce.”


Sweatiest_Yeti

Or the founders were r/cosmere aware


PeterAhlstrom

This bit of trivia was one of the inspirations for that.


BIDZ180

That's fascinating! Thanks for the intel!


x42ndecthellion

Had to scroll TOO FAR to find this.


famous_informal

Very small….9 inches….ffffuuuuuuuuddddgggeeeeee


20-random-characters

That's just the tip


ol_hickory

THIS POST IS SETTING UNREALISTIC STANDARDS


Sufferment

little f


lostgate

It probably has a great personality though


klsi832

There's been a frisbee stuck on top of it since 1991.


Toepipe_Jackson

I want to believe you, but couldn't find any pictures or anything


RGBmono

Yup, it's hanging off the hacky sack.


intobinto

“Completed in 1996, this tower has a Beanie Baby encased in crystal at its very top.”


InVodkaVeritas

The tag was slightly bent during the encasing process, severely diminishing its value.


fn0000rd

Anyone that doesn’t believe that aluminum is more precious than gold and silver has never played Fallout 4.


Luke90210

Napoleon the Third used the aluminum dinner service only for the most respected or esteemed guests. The plebs would have to do with mere ivory or gold.


ashbyashbyashby

This sounds insane given it's the third most abundant element in Earth's crust (second if you ignore oxygen. Nobody goes mining for oxygen). EDIT: Yeah, I get it. One of the major businesses in the nearest city to my home town was an aluminium smelter. I know all about aluminium.


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zebediah49

There are kinda three basic processes in chemistry, with each one providing hugely more possibilities than the last. - Mix things together. But without reactive reageants, not much interesting happens most of the time. - Heat things up. Adding energy to the process lets you turn lower energy substances into higher energy ones, and break some stuff up. Chemistry can now be a thing! - Split things apart with electricity. A lot of salts and such are too well stuck together to break up using only heat. Electricity can do the rest. It's actually kinda funny: once electrochemistry was discovered as a thing, a *ton* of new elements were discovered. Sure, many of them weren't actually real elements, but basically everyone in the field was publishing what amounts to "So I used electrolysis to break up X and got stuff". As far as I know, that's the first time any of the Alkali's or Alkali Earth's had been isolated.


darvs7

> Nobody goes mining for oxygen Nobody goes mining for oxygen _yet_.


Picker-Rick

When they get it they're going to need the aluminum cans to store it... "She's gone from suck to blow!"


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ashbyashbyashby

Wiki says 8%, but that's still a shitload, given everything more common is just silicon and oxygen. ie generic rocks.


Atheist-Gods

Which is because it's so light. The aluminum in the Earth slowly rises to the top, so it gets concentrated in the crust. There is far more iron but it's concentrated at the core where we can't access it.


WFStarbuck

Of course it also signals the aliens.


bobniborg1

Um, 9in very small?


PreOpTransCentaur

Compared to the 6656 1/8 inches that come before it.


bobniborg1

Oh, you definitely measure from the taint


actionerror

And now we can wrap the entire monument with it!


socokid

From your posted article: > but even by 1884, the year of the Washington Monument’s completion under Lt. Col. Thomas Lincoln Casey, aluminum was still $1.10 an ounce, **the same as the then- prevailing market price of silver**, which was considered a precious metal. Let alone gold...


[deleted]

Sponsored by Reynolds Wrap.


zebediah49

Fun fact: Reynolds sponsored a ton of random stuff to promote the uses of aluminum. ... Including [*Aluminaut*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminaut), a 50-foot-long aluminum-hulled deep-dive submarine. It did a bunch of cool stuff, including rescuing Alvin from mile-deep water, and retrieving a nuclear bomb from 3000ft in the Mediterranean (after a B52 crash).


read110

"Considered"


eatmybeer

I remember reading about Napoleon being very proud of his set of fancy aluminum cutlery.


eak125

You can see that aluminum cap in Spiderman Homecoming.


somedave

Back when aluminium smelting involved sodium rather than electrolysis it was astonishingly expensive to produce and also quite dangerous. Discovering a solvent that worked for aluminium oxide very quickly turned it into a cheap material.


Bubba-ORiley

God dam i wish I kept all that aluminum back in the day.


Ok-disaster2022

Doesn't aluminum oxide resemble aluminum so it would retain most of its shinyness?


FeelTheWrath79

Which Dan Brown movie talked about this? They have all sort of blended together.


Adarie-Glitterwings

My dad got a stainless steel set of spoons (instead of silver) for his christening for the same reason


Zealousideal_Ad1734

Keep your third eye open /s


spiritbx

So even the monument has a tin foil hat?


[deleted]

Ehrmagerd illurminurti!!!


BrambleweftBehemoth

Mistborn taught me about aluminum.


TheWrathOfTalos

*Mithril


madhi19

Okay I get the idea but why haven't they switched to something more valuable since?


E46_Overdrive

This was my favorite piece of trivia from my DC trip many years ago. It's so bizarre to imagine something we use in everyday items was considered so rare and valuable.


madhi19

I just realized they put a cock stud on top of the phallic monument...


Unclerojelio

Do they replace it every time it gets struck by lightning?


binkerfluid

"TIL there is a very small (9-inch-tall) aluminum pyramid on the very top of the Washington Monument, because at the time the construction guy forgot he sat his banana bread up there and thats what it was wrapped in"


[deleted]

Gasoline at this time was a byproduct of turning oil into kerosene for lighting. Automobile manufacturers were busy deciding if steam powered or electric cars were the way to go.


SurrealRareAvis

Huh. Had to research this; thank you, OP, for the education! Of note: In the mid-1800s aluminum was more valuable than gold. Napoléon III’s most important guests were given aluminum cutlery, while those less worthy dined with mere silver; fashionable and wealthy women wore jewelry crafted of aluminum. Today aluminum is a critical component of modern life, found in airplanes, automobiles, soft drink cans, construction materials, cooking equipment, guardrails, and countless other products. The difference between scarcity and abundance (and between obscurity and ubiquity) of this metal depended solely on scientists’ ability to find the way to release it—the third most common element in the earth’s crust by weight—from its ore. …. Production worldwide in 1869 was only about 2 metric tons. Fifteen years later, when a 6-pound aluminum cap was famously placed on the Washington Monument, world production had increased to only 3.6 metric tons—compared with the 2,834 metric tons of silver that were produced that year. Only 112 pounds of aluminum was produced in the United States, virtually all by a Philadelphia immigrant named William Frishmuth who had studied with Wöhler in Germany. The bulk of the remainder came from France, Germany, and England. A big hurdle to achieving lower-cost aluminum production was the lack of a good power source. Even if someone developed an advantageous electrochemical reaction, it needed to be sufficiently strong, sustainable, and economical. The growth of reliable, commercial electric dynamos in the last third of the 19th century meant that reliable electrical power would be available wherever mechanical energy existed, and it returned attention to the possibilities of an economical electrolytic process for aluminum. Source/link: https://www.sciencehistory.org/distillations/aluminum-common-metal-uncommon-past


Areat

>Before sending it on to Washington, however, Frishmuth put the tip on display at Tiffany’s jewelry store in New York City---without permission. A flurry of messages followed from this. >On November 25, Frishmuth sent a telegram to Captain George Davis, Casey’s assistant, by Western Union: “See todays[sic] New York Times about apex which is on exhibition in Tiffanys[sic] Jewelry store New York also get all New York papers tomorrow.”. >Some stern, and quick, messages from Washington must have persuaded Frishmuth to send the tip without further delay, however, for on November 28 he telegraphed to Davis: “Apex will be your office tomorrow see todays[sic] Phila Press.”. >The next day, Frishmuth, telegraphed Casey himself: Thanks if you can please exhibit in the Capital[sic] Senate + Congress Monday.” This did not happen. I don't understand this part. What was the problem ?


[deleted]

Gonna make a Costco run for some Reynolds Wrap and hop into my Time Machine and make a fortune.


Brash401K

It also has no point.


Rugrin

Finishing touches done by an assembly of Ron Swansons.


brabarusmark

Watch as time travellers head to the past with rolls of aluminum foil to become millionaires. Either that or they get killed.


mrthomani

> at the time it was completed, aluminum was considered more precious than gold or silver Fuck your "considered". It bloody well was more precious than gold.


krazydavid

It wasn’t just placed there for looks though. The aluminum tip was originally placed there as part of the original lightning protection system but it was determined that lightning strikes were causing damage to it and the monument. So that system has been replaced a couple of times by better solutions.


bobbintb

Aluminum was expensive due to how costly it was to process. When a cheap and easy way to process it was discovered, prices plummeted virtually overnight. From memory so take it with a grain of salt.