William Hyde Wollaston
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The renowned English chemist and physicist William Hyde Wollaston lived from 1766 to 1828. In 1803, while working on a process for turning platinum ore into commercially valuable ingots, he discovered the chemical elements Palladium and Rhodium. By keeping the process for platinum refinement secret, he cornered the market on platinum and made a sizeable fortune. He endowed the Geological Society of London with sufficient funds to establish the Wollaston Award. The Medal given to the awardees is made of Palladium metal in keeping with Wollaston's discovery.