![]() Gold foil of this thickness is often used to make the lettering on window signs. The sheet will be only 0.00025 centimeters (one ten-thousandth of an inch) thick. Grams (slightly less than an ounce) can be hammered into a sheet that will cover more than 6 square meters (68 square feet). Malleable means capable of being hammered into thin sheets. Ductile means it can be drawn into thin wires. People became very rich or found nothing at all during this exciting time in history. Thousands of people flocked to California in search of gold. In the United States, of course, the most famous story about gold occurred in the late 1840s. A Portuguese explorer in 1586, Lopez Vaz, wrote that the region called Veragua (now Panama) was the "richest Land of Gold all the rest of the Indies." During a visit to Haiti, Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) found gold nuggets lying on the bottom of rivers and harbors. Gold has long been known in the New World, too. The last time a solid gold medal was used in the Olympics was 1912.Ĭhristopher Columbus found gold nuggets lying in the bottom of rivers and harbors in Haiti. That means they can step up to the winner's podium and wear their gold medal proudly. Athletes from around the world dream of coming in first place at the Olympics. O ne of the most famous items using gold is the Olympic gold medal. The Romans found it lying in stream beds in the Tagus River in Spain, the Po River in Italy, the Hebrus River in Thracia (now Greece), the Pactolus River in Asia Minor (now Turkey), and the Ganges River in India. 23-79), for example, describes gold-mining locations. Writings from every stage of human history tell of the discovery and use of gold. A passage in Exodus, for example, refers to the clothing worn by Aaron: "And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet, and in the fine linen, with cunning work." Gold is also mentioned in a number of places in the Bible. The glass became known as gold ruby glass. They found a way to use gold to make glass a beautiful ruby-red color. One of the special skills developed by the Egyptians was the adding of gold to glass objects. Some of the gold, for example, had been formed into wires. These objects showed that humans had already learned how to work with gold this early in history. They were discovered in the royal tombs of the ancient civilization of Ur. Aurum means "shining dawn." Discovery and naming The symbol comes from the Latin word for gold, aurum. For example, one radioactive isotope of gold is commonly used to treat cancer. Gold also has a number of uses in industry, medicine, and other applications. Large amounts of gold are still used in the manufacture of coins, medals, jewelry, and art. Gold is also known as a precious metal (as are platinum and silver). Gold is a heavy metal in a group known as the transition metals. The periodic table is a chart that shows how elements are related to one another. Gold lies in the middle of the periodic table. Many nations still count their wealth according to the amount of gold they keep in storage. Cities and towns have sprung up and died out as gold was discovered and then mined out. Wars have been fought over access to gold. ![]() Gold is one of the few elements that can affect politics and economics. It was one of the first pure metals to be used by humans. Its beauty has made it desirable for use in jewelry, coins, and artwork for thousands of years. Gold has been called the most beautiful of all chemical elements. Note: This article, originally published in 1998, was updated in 2006 for the eBook edition.
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