We have all heard the expression “heart of gold” when someone tries to describe a person’s goodness and kindness. This expression alludes to gold in the sense of something valued for its “goodness” and this is just one of many examples in which gold is used to represent the element of greatness. You’ve probably noticed that Olympic winners are awarded gold medals (though they are mostly silver and coated with only one percent of gold), the Oscar statuettes are coated with gold, as are the Grammy awards, the Golden Globes, and the Nobel Prize medals. But why do we love and value gold so much when there are hundreds of metals on Earth? From as far back in history as we can trace, gold has been considered a precious thing to own. And this lust for gold is not unique to just one culture or another, but to cultures all over the globe, separated by vast distances, a fact that clearly shows that the high value placed on gold was established even before historical records that talk about the spread of civilizations. Of the 118 elements on the periodic table, gold is the one we have always picked to use as currency. Learn more about this fascinating mineral with these 25 Glittering Facts About Gold that might just amaze you.
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The word gold comes from the Old English word geolu, meaning yellow.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: pixabay.com The symbol for gold is Au. The symbol comes from the old Latin name for gold, aurum, which means “shining dawn” or “glow of sunrise.”
Source: facts.randomhistory.com Archaeological evidence shows that around 5000 BCE gold and copper became the first metals to be discovered by humans.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: Wikipedia The first recorded gold ever discovered in the United States was a seventeen-pound nugget found in Cabarrus, North Carolina. When more gold was discovered in Little Meadow Creek, North Carolina, in 1803, the first US gold rush began.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: Wikipedia Gold melts at 1,064.43° Celsius and it can conduct both heat and electricity. It also never rusts.
Source: facts.randomhistory.com, Image: Wikimedia 
