Interesting Facts about Gold
Exactly what is that fascinating and beautifully rare metallic element, so highly venerated since the dawn of creation? Gold: everyone knows what it is, but not everyone knows how truly amazing it is. Did you know…?
| > | Gold is nearly invincible. |
|---|---|
| > | Gold does not react with water, oxygen, or hydrogen sulfide. |
| > | Gold is chemically quite inert. No single acid dissolves it. |
| > | Gold does not oxidize, rust, tarnish, corrode, decay, or deteriorate. |
| > | Gold has the chemical symbol Au, short for the Latin word for gold, ‘Aurum”. |
| > | Aurum literally means ‘glowing dawn’. |
| > | Gold has an atomic number 79 and an atomic weight of 196.9665. |
| > | Gold is the most elastic and supple of all the elements. |
| > | Gold melts at 1063 degrees Centigrade and is 19.3 times heavier than water. |
| > | Gold is the first metal mentioned in the bible: Genesis 2:10-12. |
| > | Gold is usually found in nature as a free metal in veins of quartz. |
| > | Gold is also found, or in alluvial (placer) deposits that result from rock break up. |
| > | Evidence suggests that man may have possessed gold as far back as 5000 B.C. |
| > | A gold pendant was found in Thessaly dating from around 6100-5300 BC. |
| > | Gold can be fired into clays to produce incredibly stunning porcelain or glass. |
| > | Ancient gold use was reserved for decoration, adornment and spiritual purposes. |
| > | In ancient Egypt, gold use was restricted to only Pharaohs. |
| > | By 3000 B.C., the Egyptian’s used the lost-wax method to shape gold into leaves. |
| > | One ounce of gold, a cubic centimeter, can be beaten into 300 sq. ft of gold leaf. |
| > | 1922 A.D the 2,448 lb. gold coffin of “King Tut” was discovered in his tomb. |
| > | 950 BC, the Queen of Sheba brought 6 tons of gold as a gift for King Solomon. |
| > | The Lydian Lion, made of gold and silver, may have been the world’s first coin. |
| > | King Croesus of Lydia created the first coins of pure gold around 540BC. |
| > | The Greeks used gold coins to broadcast news and important political messages. |
| > | Alexander the Great spread coinage throughout the lands he conquered. |
| > | The total gold mined throughout history amounts to less than 90,000 tons. |
| > | All this gold gathered together could fit into a cube that was 58 feet on each side! |
| > | Gold is mined today by open pit methods with 0.1 ounce per ton of waste rock. |
| > | There may be only 40,000 tons of gold remaining in the earth to be mined. |
| > | Total gold production per year worldwide is less than 2000 tons. |
| > | 2/3 from South Africa, 30%-the Soviet Union, 4%-Canada and 3% from the US. |
| > | There are gold mines in South Africa that are more than a mile deep! |
| > | The World Cup Trophy is 32cm high and is made of solid 18-carat gold. |
| > | Gold has been recycled from the beginning because value and resilience. |
| > | At least 15% of annual gold consumption is recycled each year. |
| > | That means you could have ancient Egyptian gold in your dental filling! |
| > | 10,000 metric tons of gold are held at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. |
| > | The Statue of Liberty was refurbished with 6000 squares of gold leaf in 1986. |
| > | You can stack 250,000 leaves of gold into a pile that is only one inch high. |
| > | In the US, about 47 metric tons is used for electronics. |
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