What You'll Learn:

It comes as no surprise that the first words we have on record about rust are tinged with annoyance. The first known recorded reference to corrosion comes from a Roman general two millennia ago, bemoaning the damage some invisible foe had wreaked on his army’s catapults. Not much later, historian Pliny the Elder speculated that rust was a divinely placed check on humanity’s hubris. Even as speculations moved from metaphysical to empirical, the question of how best to deal with the menace of metal-munching oxidation continues. Journalist Jonathan Waldman takes us through British industrial factories and Rust Belt remains to show us where we’ve been and gives us a few glimpses of where corrosion could gain the upper hand against cities if we fail to recognize our ongoing battle against entropy.