Antimony is a silvery-white metallic element that humans have used for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians ground antimony into a black powder called kohl to make eye makeup, while ancient doctors used antimony compounds (though often unwisely) to try to treat illnesses.

Today, antimony serves a crucial but often invisible role in modern life: making things flame-resistant. Mixed with other materials, antimony helps prevent plastics, fabrics, and electronics from catching fire easily. The plastic casings on computers, the wiring in buildings, and even some children's pajamas can contain antimony compounds that slow down flames.

Antimony is also mixed with lead to make the metal harder and stronger. Car batteries use lead-antimony alloys because pure lead would be too soft. The element appears on the periodic table with the symbol Sb.

Pure antimony is brittle and breaks easily, unlike bendable metals like copper or aluminum. Miners extract antimony ore from the ground, and China produces most of the world's supply. While you might never hold a chunk of pure antimony in your hand, this unsung element quietly helps protect people from fire hazards every single day.