The Alchemist Who Boiled 1,500 Gallons of Urine — And Discovered an Element

追加: 2026-05-04

[00:00:00]A German alchemist boiled 1,500 gallons of human urine trying to turn it into gold. In 1669, Hennig Brand collected buckets from taverns across Hamburg convinced its golden color held the philosopher's stone. He boiled it for days then heated the residue in a furnace. A white substance appeared and it glowed in the dark. [music] It was phosphorus, the first element ever discovered by a single person. Today, it's in every match head [music] and every acre of farmland on Earth. He never made gold.

[00:00:34]He found something the world needed more.