Ask Dr. Notebook

Q: I can't turn on the TV or shop for a stroller without hearing about titanium. When did it get so darn hot?

A: As the fourth most abundant metal in the earth's crust, titanium surely deserves the attention it is enjoying. The birth of titanium cool probably started in 1997, when architect Frank Gehry used it in abundance for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Until then, the metal had been largely under cover. During the cold war, it was used primarily to build aircraft. When this need abated, the titanium industry promoted its other uses. Up to four...

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