People love gold.
They have for eons.
And what’s not to love?
Gold is strikingly beautiful. It’s useful. And it has faithfully served humanity as money for thousands of years.
Of course, most people are aware of these characteristics. But there are a lot of things about this beautiful metal that you might not be aware of.
So, for a little fun, here are 10 lesser-known bits of trivia about gold.
1. We all know that gold is scarce. But it really isn’t. While the amount of gold mined throughout human history would fit inside four-and-a-half Olympic-sized swimming pools, and geologists estimate there are only 54,770 tonnes of mineable gold reserves, there’s a lot more gold than that on Earth (or I should say in the Earth). The problem is that most of it is locked in the molten core. In fact, scientists estimate that about 99 percent of the world’s gold is buried about 1,800 miles below the Earth’s surface. If all that gold were brought to the surface, it would cover the entire Earth at a depth of about 1.5 feet!
2. If the amount of gold in the Earth’s core doesn’t satisfy you, there’s plenty more in the world’s oceans. How much gold? Scientists estimate there are some 20 million tonnes of dissolved gold in the oceans. Unfortunately, there is no economical way to mine it.
3. The yellow metal is so malleable that it can be pressed into nearly transparent sheets through which light can pass. In fact, an ounce of gold can be hammered into an extremely thin 100-square-foot sheet.
4. You can eat gold. And some people do. Gold is biologically inert and will safely pass through your digestive system with no negative effects.
5. Pure gold is soft. In fact, you can bite a 24-karat gold coin, and it will leave toothmarks. This is why gold jewelry is generally mixed with other metals.
6. Gold had religious significance in many ancient cultures. The ancient Egyptians called it “The breath of God,” and they associated it with the flesh of Ra, the sun god. The fact that gold doesn’t tarnish reinforced the metal's status as divine.
7. The largest gold nugget ever found weighed more than 171 pounds. Nicknamed the “Welcome Stranger,” the 2,500-ounce nugget was discovered in Australia in 1869. It was so big that they had to break it apart to weigh it.
8. While most people associate American gold rushes with California or Alaska, the first U.S. gold rush was in North Carolina. In 1799, a young farmer named Conrad Reed found a 17-pound gold nugget on his family's property in Cabarrus County. That led to the establishment of the first U.S. gold mine, known as Reed Gold Mine.
9. Olympic gold medals are mostly silver! The 2026 Olympic gold medal was formed of 500 grams of sterling silver, an alloy containing 92.5 percent by weight of silver and 7.5 percent by weight of other metals. They were then coated with 6 grams of 24-karat gold.
10. Gold helps protect astronauts’ eyes when they are in space. You’ll notice that the visor on a space helmet looks gold. That’s because gold is incorporated into the design. Gold filters out infrared and ultraviolet light. As NASA explained it, “The movable sun visor and sun-shades protect the astronaut from the sun’s strong rays, while still allowing a clear visual field.”
So, there ya go! Gold isn’t just money. It’s not just a pretty rock. It is super cool!
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