In a perfect example of a mineral's true potential not being realised until long after its discovery, Titanium went from being discovered by a Cornish amateur geologist and parish priest, William Gregor, in 1791, to being the material of choice during the jet age of the 1950s. The principle characteristics engineers then, as well as now, appreciate are its high strength with comparably lower mass, its high-temperature operating properties, its resistance to corrosion and, for specific purposes, its bio-compatibility. This means that Titanium will find itself invaluable across the whole spectrum of the engineering industry. Titanium is typically organised into four distinct groups to reflect its varying alloyed states and is organised on this 'site thusly: Commercially Pure/Unalloyed, Alpha and Near-Alpha, Alpha-Beta and Beta.