Gold in History
- “Teocuitlatl” is the Aztec word for gold meaning “excrement of the gods”.
- The Thracian civilization in the region of Varna, Bulgaria was the first to work gold into objects as early as 4000 BC.
- Most of our gold is recycled. 75% of our gold has been in circulation since 1910. It’s possible that 80% is unmined.
- Before replacement teeth were made of gold, 7th century dentists attached fake teeth with thin gold wires.
- The greatest gold rush of all time was started when gold flakes were discovered at a saw mill in Sutter’s Mill, California.
Gold in Industry
- Fashion: 20% of the decorative gold used in fashion throughout the world is used in Indian Saris as thread. Gold is so pliable that just one ounce can be made into a thread 50 miles long.
- Health: Gold been used to treat health issues like arthritis.
- Film: In the James Bond film ‘Goldfinger’ Bond girl Jill Masterson is entirely coated in gold and dies from skin suffocation, which as it turns out isn’t possible. The film crew left a patch on her tummy bare, just in case?
- Space: To protect astronauts the Apollo Lunar Landing Module was wrapped in gold foil to prevent solar radiation from penetrating inside. Astronauts visors on their helmets are also coated with gold to reduce glare and heat.
- Architecture: Gold coated glass used in some high rise buildings cuts down on heating and cooling costs. The super thin metallic finish reflects light out keeping the building cool in the summer and helps to retain heat in the winter.
Gold in Nature
- Microorganisms in the earth (named Cupriavidus metallidurans) eat trace amounts of gold embedded in rocks, they then excrete larger nuggets of pure gold. So I guess the Aztecs weren’t entirely wrong after all.
- It’s estimated that there’s 10 billion tons of gold in the earths oceans both under the sea floor but also dissolved in seawater.
- Gold is more rare than diamonds.
- It’s in your blood (in very small amounts). Gold maintains your joint health, and is a key element in transmitting electrical signals throughout the body.
- In 1999 the NEAR spacecraft discovered that the asteroid Eros harbours more gold than what has been mined on earth… ever.
