11 August: Silver

On this date in 1860, the first successful silver mill in the US began operation near Virginia City, Nevada. 10 things you didn't know about silver.

1. The word silver comes from the Anglo-Saxon word seolfor. Silver is one of the words in the English language which does not rhyme with any other word. Its chemical symbol is Ag, which comes from the Latin word for silver, argentum, which in turn derives from the Sanskit word argunas, which means shining.
2. It was one of the first metals to be discovered and used by humans, probably around 5000 BC. By 4000 BC people were making things out of it, including Money. It was the first metal to be used as currency. This is reflected in the fact that the word for money is the same as the word for silver in at least fourteen languages, including French, Thai, Swahili, and Welsh.
3. Silver occurs naturally in nature, sometimes alongside other metal ores. There is a naturally occurring alloy of silver and Gold, called electrum.
4. Its atomic number is 47; it melts at 1,763.2 degrees Fahrenheit (961.78 degrees Celsius) and boils at 3,924 F (2,162 C).
5. Of all the elements, silver is best at conducting heat and Electricity. It is second only to gold in ductability - an ounce of silver can be drawn into a wire 8,000 feet long. This makes it very useful. The lines in the back window of a car, used to defrost it in winter are made of silver. It's also the most reflective element. When polished, it reflects 95% of all visible light. Hence it is used to make mirrors, microscopes and solar cells. It's not so good at reflecting ultra-violet light (Here's a theory – are vampires made of ultra-violet light and that's why they have no reflections? Just a thought).
6. Silver tarnishes in air because of a chemical reaction with sulphur compounds which turns it Black. That's why people are forever polishing it. Silver pieces kept in museums are coated in lacquer so they don't tarnish. It also changes colour when exposed to light, which makes traditional photography possible. Even in the digital age, photography is still one of the biggest uses for silver.
7. Silver metal isn't toxic to humans and can be used as a food colouring. Its E number is E174. It is germicidal, so it kills germs, but the colloidal silver sometimes sold as an alternative remedy can turn a person's skin Blue. Silver's germicidal properties are of more use in the clothing industry. Nanoparticles of it can be woven into clothing to prevent Bacteria from building up on deposits of sweat and oils.
8. Sterling silver isn't pure silver. It's 92.5% silver, with the balance made up of other metals, usually Copper. An Olympic gold medal is actually made of sterling silver and plated in gold.
9. In folklore, silver is the only thing which can kill a werewolf, so if you wanted to shoot one, you had to make bullets out of silver. Hence the expression “silver bullet” meaning a simple, effective but almost miraculous solution to a problem.
10. Silver forms in supernovae. Astronomers have found that smaller exploding stars produce silver while the largest ones produce gold.

NEW!!

Over the Rainbow

'We're not in Trinity anymore,' says Leonard Marx, quoting a line from an old Innovian  movie. The moon is different; the planes flying overhead are different. Nobody has any idea where they are or if it's possible to get home. 

In this strange new world, people from the highly technical Innovia and the less advanced Classica must co-operate in order to survive. In addition, travel through the inter-dimensional wormhole has given some people unusual and unexpected powers.

Innovia mourns the loss of its superhero, Power Blaster, last seen carrying a nuclear bomb to the upper atmosphere away from the inhabited Bird Island. They don't believe he could possibly have survived.  Power Blaster has survived, but is close to death and stranded in the new dimension. He is nursed back to health by a Classican woman, Elena. She has no idea who he is, only that she is falling in love with the handsome stranger.  

Shanna sets out to discover what happened to Nathan Tate, who didn't return from his hiking holiday, not knowing her life is about to be turned inside out and upside down. 

Meanwhile, Desi Troyes, the man responsible for the catastrophe, is at large on the new world, plotting how he can transfer his plans for world domination to the planet he now finds himself on - Earth. 

Available from Amazon and Amazon Kindle