50 Surprising Facts You Never Knew About Gold By Robert Wenzel | Saturday, June
19, 2010
1.
The word "gold" comes from the Old English word
"geolu," meaning yellow.
2. There is more steel created per hour than
there has been gold dug up throughout history.
3. Around 161,000 tons of gold have been mined
by humans.
4. Gold can be found beneath the earth on
all seven continents.
5. It is believed that around 80% of earth's
gold is still buried underground.
6. There is an estimated total of 10 billion
tons of gold in the world's oceans. That is 25 tons of gold
for every cubic mile of seawater.
7. The world’s first gold vending machine
was unveiled in May 2010. Located in an ultra-luxury hotel
in Abu Dhabi, the vending machine itself is covered in 24-carat
gold.
8. At the time of writing, the price of gold
was $1,220.80 per ounce.
9. Most western economies' currencies were
on the gold standard until 1961.
10. Switzerland was the last country whose
currency was tied to gold. 40% of a Swiss Franc was backed
by gold until Switzerland joined the IMF in 1999.
11. The gold held at Fort Knox is accounted
for by the United States as an asset valued at $44.22 per
ounce.
12. As of December 31, 1941 Fort Knox held
649.6 million ounces of gold.
13. Today, Fort Knox holds about 147.3 million
ounces.
14. The size of a standard gold bar is 7"
by 3 and 5/8" by 1 and 3/4"
15. Alchemists believe they can change ordinary
materials, such as lead, into gold.
16. A carat was originally a unit of mass
based on the carob seed used by ancient merchants.
17. The most expensive gold coin in the world
is the 1933 Double Eagle, which was sold at Sotheby's
in New York in 2002 for $7.59 million.
18. Elvis Presley owned three cars manufactured
by Stutz Motor Company, in which every part that is normally
chrome was converted to gold.
19. Former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski
bought a gold-threaded shower curtain worth $6,000.
20. A noble metal, gold is prone neither to
rust nor tarnish and does not form an oxide film on its surface
when coming into contact with air.
21. There are 92 naturally occurring elements
found in the earth's crust. Gold ranks 58th in rarity.
22. The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which
is derived from the Latin word "aurum," which means
"shining dawn."
23. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it
can be molded with the hands.
24. The melting point of gold is 2,063 degrees
Fahrenheit.
25. Gold is a great conductor of electricity.
26. Gold is the most malleable and ductile
pure metal known to man.
27. An ounce of gold can be beaten into a
sheet covering 100 square feet.
28. In 1869, two Australians unearthed the
world's largest nugget of gold, the "Welcome Stranger,"
which measured 10 by 25 inches before it was melted down.
29. The largest nugget still in existence
is the "Hand of Faith," found in 1980 in Australia.
It is currently on display at the Golden Nugget Casino in
Las Vegas.
30. A gold nugget found in the earth can be
three to four times as valuable as the gold it contains because
of its rareness.
31. The heaviest modern gold bullion coin
is the Australian Kangaroo, weighing in at 32.15 ounces.
32. Pure gold does not cause skin irritations.
33. Some sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis
receive injections of liquid gold to relieve pain.
34. Olympic gold medals were pure gold until
1912.
35. An ounce of gold can be drawn into a wire
60 miles long.
36. Two thirds of the world's gold comes from
South Africa.
37. India is the world's largest consumer
of gold today.
38. South Asian jewelry is generally more
pure than western jewelry, comprised of 22 carat gold rather
than 14 carat.
39. Gold is the state mineral of California
and Alaska.
40. 90% of the world's gold mining has been
done since the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in California
in 1848.
41. During the California gold rush, some
speculators paid more for an ounce of water than they received
for an ounce of gold.
42. South Dakota and Nevada produce more gold
than any other states.
43. Scientists believe that gold can be found
on Mars, Mercury, and Venus.
44. The visors of astronauts' helmets are
coated in a very thin, transparent layer of gold (.000002
inches) that reduces glare and heat from sunlight.
45. The Aztec word for gold, "teocuitatl,"
was translated by Europeans as meaning "excrement of
the gods."
46. According to the legend of El Dorado (the
gilded one), an Andean chief who was covered in gold dust
would make offerings of gold into a mountain lake.
47. Evidence suggests that around 5,000 B.C.,
gold and copper became the first metals to be discovered by
man.
48. King Croesus of Lydia created the first
pure gold coins in 540 B.C.
49. When Franklin Roosevelt raised the price
of gold from $20.67 to $35 in 1934..[and made it illegal for
Americans to own gold, which continued as law until President
Gerald Ford removed the restriction in 1974-RW].
50. Henry VIII, Diocletian and Nero were infamous
gold debasers, mixing other metals into gold coins and decreasing
their value.