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The word “gold” comes from the Old English word “geolu,” meaning yellow.
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There is more steel created per hour than there has been gold dug up throughout history.
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Around 161,000 tons of gold have been mined by humans.
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Gold can be found beneath the earth on all seven continents.
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It is believed that around 80% of earth’s gold is still buried underground.
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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.
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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.
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At the time of writing, the price of gold was $1,220.80 per ounce.
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Most western economies’ currencies were on the gold standard until 1961.
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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.
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The gold held at Fort Knox is accounted for by the United States as an asset valued at $44.22 per ounce.
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As of December 31, 1941 Fort Knox held 649.6 million ounces of gold.
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Today, Fort Knox holds about 147.3 million ounces.
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The size of a standard gold bar is 7" by 3 and 5/8" by 1 and 3/4"
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Alchemists believe they can change ordinary materials, such as lead, into gold.
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A carat was originally a unit of mass based on the carob seed used by ancient merchants.
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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.
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Elvis Presley owned three cars manufactured by Stutz Motor Company, in which every part that is normally chrome was converted to gold.
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Former Tyco International CEO Dennis Kozlowski bought a gold-threaded shower curtain worth $6,000.
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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.
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There are 92 naturally occurring elements found in the earth’s crust. Gold ranks 58th in rarity.
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The chemical symbol for gold is Au, which is derived from the Latin word “aurum,” which means “shining dawn.”
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Absolutely pure gold is so soft that it can be molded with the hands.
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The melting point of gold is 2,063 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Gold is a great conductor of electricity.
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Gold is the most malleable and ductile pure metal known to man.
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An ounce of gold can be beaten into a sheet covering 100 square feet.
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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.
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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.
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A gold nugget found in the earth can be three to four times as valuable as the gold it contains because of its rareness.
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The heaviest modern gold bullion coin is the Australian Kangaroo, weighing in at 32.15 ounces.
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Pure gold does not cause skin irritations.
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Some sufferers of rheumatoid arthritis receive injections of liquid gold to relieve pain.
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Olympic gold medals were pure gold until 1912.
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An ounce of gold can be drawn into a wire 60 miles long.
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Two thirds of the world’s gold comes from South Africa.
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India is the world’s largest consumer of gold today.
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South Asian jewelry is generally more pure than western jewelry, comprised of 22 carat gold rather than 14 carat.
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Gold is the state mineral of California and Alaska.
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90% of the world’s gold mining has been done since the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848.
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During the California gold rush, some speculators paid more for an ounce of water than they received for an ounce of gold.
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South Dakota and Nevada produce more gold than any other states.
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Scientists believe that gold can be found on Mars, Mercury, and Venus.
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The visors of astronauts’ helmets are coated in a very thin, transparent layer of gold (.000002 inches) that reduces glare and heat from sunlight.
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The Aztec word for gold, “teocuitatl,” was translated by Europeans as meaning “excrement of the gods.”
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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.
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Evidence suggests that around 5,000 B.C., gold and copper became the first metals to be discovered by man.
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King Croesus of Lydia created the first pure gold coins in 540 B.C.
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When Franklin Roosevelt raised the price of gold from $20.67 to $35 in 1934, the dollar immediately lost 40% of its value.
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Henry VIII, Diocletian and Nero were infamous gold debasers, mixing other metals into gold coins and decreasing their value.