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. Most western economies' currencies were on
the gold standard until 1961.
9. 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.
10. The gold held at Fort Knox is accounted for by
the United States as an asset valued at $44.22 per
ounce.
11. As of December 31, 1941 Fort Knox held 649.6
million ounces of gold.
12. Today, Fort Knox holds about 147.3 million
ounces.
13. The size of a standard gold bar is 7" by 3 and
5/8" by 1 and 3/4"
14. Alchemists believe they can change ordinary
materials, such as lead, into gold.
15. A carat was originally a unit of mass based on
the carob seed used by ancient merchants.
16. 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.
17. Elvis Presley owned three cars manufactured
by Stutz Motor Company, in which every part that
is normally chrome was converted to gold.
18. Former Tyco International CEO Dennis
Kozlowski bought a gold-threaded shower curtain
worth $6,000.
19. 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 ai
20. There are 92 naturally occurring elements
found in the earth's crust. Gold ranks 58th in
rarity.
21. The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which is
derived from the Latin word "aurum," which means
"shining dawn."
22. Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be
molded with the hands.
23. The melting point of gold is 2,063 degrees
Fahrenheit.
24. Gold is a great conductor of electricity.
25. Gold is the most malleable and ductile pure
metal known to man.
26. An ounce of gold can be beaten into a sheet
covering 100 square feet.
27. 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.
28. 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.
29. A gold nugget found in the earth can be three
to four times as valuable as the gold it contains
because of its rareness.
30. The heaviest modern gold bullion coin is
Austria's Philharmonic. In 2004, the coin, which
has a weight of 1,000 ounces (31.1 kilograms or
69 troy pounds or 828 troy ounces) and a
diameter of 15 inches, was dubbed the world’s
largest gold coin by Guinness World Records.
31. In 2007, Canada made a 100 kilogram (3,217
troy ounce), 0.99999 gold coin with a face value of
$1,000,000.
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.
#-ad_banner_2-#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, the dollar
immediately lost 40% of its value.
50. Henry VIII, Diocletian and Nero were infamous
gold debasers, mixing other metals into gold coins
and decreasing their value.