Long before appearing in the Harry Potter books and movies, the Sorcerer's Stone was already a hit around the world. The first mention of it would have appeared in ancient Arabic texts from Alexandria and, according to legends, it would be a substance capable of turning simple metals into gold and from which it was possible to produce the elixir of life - which would allow immortality.

It may be that this stone talk capable of turning ordinary elements into precious metals or prolonging one's life forever seems like a huge nonsense today. However, in the past the search for the Philosopher's Stone was a very serious matter, and then you can check out four people who supposedly tried to unravel the mysteries of this fantastic substance:

1 - Nicolas Flamel

Known as one of the most famous magicians in history, Nicolas Flamel lived between the 14th and 15th centuries and, according to the legends circulating about this character, he devoted much of his existence to translating a mysterious alchemy book. This volume supposedly contained information about the mythical Philosopher's Stone - capable of turning metals into gold - and also a recipe for how to achieve immortality.

Look at Flamel - supposedly rotten from rich and immortal - there!

For, according to the rumors, it was thanks to the Philosopher's Stone that Flamel and his wife became so rich. Also, according to rumors, the couple would also have discovered the secret of eternal life.

But the recipe may not have worked very well, because the wizard died in Paris in 1418, not to mention that there is no concrete evidence of his involvement with alchemy. In fact, Nicolas Flamel's historical records show that he and his wife have amassed their wealth through family business - and that they have donated almost all their wealth to charity.

2 - Albertus Magnus

Albertus Magnus was a 13th century Dominican bishop, and is among the greatest German philosophers and theologians of the Middle Ages - so much so that one of his illustrious disciples was also Italian philosopher and theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas. For Magnus was responsible for establishing the scientific study of nature as part of the Christian tradition, and it is said that he conducted experiments with photosensitive elements and discovered arsenic.

Did Magnus want to guarantee eternal life even without the consent of divine will?

It turns out that rumors circulated that Magnus was also a fan of alchemy and that he would have discovered the Philosopher's Stone and witnessed the transmutation of metals and other materials into gold. Another legend associated with the Dominican is that he had found a way to remain immortal - and the inspiration probably came from the fact that Magnus lived to be 80 years old at a time when life expectancy was much shorter.

3 - Isaac Newton

Sir Isaac Newton is among the greatest scientists of all time and has entered history by laying the foundations of classical mechanics, the laws of body movement, and the Law of Universal Gravitation. For Newton also became involved with alchemy and even developed a recipe for creating the Philosopher's Stone - and the scientist's notes were discovered not so long ago!

These are Newton's notes on the "philosopher's mercury"

More precisely, Newton's texts refer to the “philosopher's mercury” which the ancient alchemists believed would be a substance capable of turning certain elements into metals - and was considered fundamental to the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. In the notes it is not explicit whether the English scientist really tried to produce the stone and elixir of life, but there is no shortage of believers that he has made great strides in this area.

4 - Michal Sedziwoj

Sedziwoj was a Polish philosopher, doctor, chemist and - of course - alchemist who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries, and was responsible for discovering that the air we breathe does not consist of a single substance. Incidentally, Sedziwoj claimed that this mixture of elements contained a gas that he identified as "the food of life" and would later be called oxygen.

Sedziwoj would have gotten some of the dust from some mysterious alchemist

The alchemist has also developed techniques for isolating and purifying various compounds, such as acids and metals, and has published several works - among them a coded book entitled "A New Light of Alchemy." It is therefore not surprising that rumors circulated that Sedziwoj had a small amount of Philosopher's Stone dust, and that this material was described by the Polish as being of purer gold and whose seeds were capable of producing more gold.