Symbol: Mn
Atomic number: 25
Overview: Man and Manganese - we've rubbed shoulders for eons. Indeed, of all the elements - except for Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon... and quite a few others, actually - it's been our bedfellow ever since we came down from the trees and decided that standing erect was the way to go. As such, it's fair to say that Manganese is amongst the most interesting of all the elements. It certainly knocks Vanadium into a cocked hat. Ha, fucking Vanadium...
Discovered: Manganese was first isolated by Sweden's Johan Gottlieb Gahn in 1774.
It was first identified by scientists a few years earlier, with Austria's Ignatius Gottfied Kaim deserving the bulk of the credit. However, since Manganese occurs naturally, the first time it was ever used by man was tens of thousands of years ago. For example, Manganese was used as a pigment by the people who covered the caves of Lascaux, France, with images of such long extinct species as aurochs and Irish elk.
What it looks like: Another in the disappointingly long line of silvery metals.
What it does: Functions as an ion in all manner of enzymes. As such, it's particularly good at detoxifying free radicals. Manganese is also very popular with plants who would be unable to photosynthesize properly without the stuff.
What it's used for: To help prevent corrosion and rusting. You'll also find Manganese in batteries. And while the world might have changed a lot in the 30,000 years since our ancestors used it at Lascaux, mankind continues to use Manganese as a pigment, albeit now on an industrial scale.
You might not know this but: Manganese is named after the same place in Greece, Magnesia, that also inspired the monikers of the metallic element Magnesium and the Iron ore Magnetite.