Strontium was first isolated as a metal in 1808 by Humphry Davy using the then-newly discovered process of electrolysis. The production of sugar from sugar beet was in the 19th century the largest application of strontium. At the peak of production of television cathode ray tubes, as much as 75 percent of strontium consumption in the United States was used for the faceplate glass. With the displacement of cathode ray tubes by other display methods, consumption of strontium has declined.