Iridium was discovered in 1803, by Smithson Tennant, a British chemist, later a Cambridge professor. Smithson also discovered osmium at around the same time; both were found in platinum ores.
Iridium was discovered in London, England in 1803. It was discovered as an impurity in the mining and purification of platinum metal. Most iridium has gone below the surface of the earth and now resides towards the core of the planet.
