14 April: Black Day

Black Day is an informal celebration for single people who did not get any gifts on Valentine's Day. Here are 10 things you might not know about black, the colour which is the result of the absence or complete absorption of visible light.

1. Black is often associated with darkness, cruelty, evil or death. A Latin word for black was "ater" which is the root of the English words "atrocious" and "atrocity". That it was adopted by Nazis and jihadists hasn't helped its reputation. Expressions such as "blacklist", "black comedy", "black mark", "black sheep of the family", "black market", reinforce this even more. In ancient Egypt, however, black was a positive colour, which represented abundance and fertility because the rich soil brought by the flooding of the Nile was black. Their god Anubis, who offered protection against evil, had a black face. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving was originally coined to describe the congestion and disruption caused by everyone going shopping that day, but later, it has been taken to signify that it's the day retailers are sure to make a profit, ie be "in the black".
2. The English word black comes from Old English words meaning "dark", "black" or "ink". As well as "ater" mantioned above, Latin had a second word for black, "niger". Ater was a dull black while niger meant a more brilliant, saturated black. It is from this word that we get the word "negro", and it's also the root of the name of the country Nigeria and the words for black in other languages (French: noir; Spanish and Portuguese: negro; Italian: nero). In heraldry, black is referred to as "sable" after the black fur of the animal.
3. Black's association with mourning started in ancient Rome. In Europe and America, people wear black to funerals, and widows in Greece or Italy may, like Queen Victoria, wear black for the rest of their lives. The Victorians had a dress code which people were expected to follow after a loved one died. "Non-reflective black paramatta and crape" was worn for a year. After that, people could wear dull black silk for the next year, with a crape trim for the first nine months. For six months after that, a widow could wear the colours of "half-mourning" for six months - gray and lavender, black and white.
4. Despite the negative connotations, black is never out of fashion. Gianni Versace once said, "Black is the quintessence of simplicity and elegance." It was French designer Coco Chanel, however, who introduced the "little black dress" to the world. She said, "A woman needs just three things; a black dress, a black sweater, and, on her arm, a man she loves." Because black is never out of fashion, describing something as "the new black" marks it as a fashion trend.
5. Folklore regarding black Cats varies depending on where you are. If a black cat crosses your path, if you're in Britain or Japan, it means good luck, but in most of the rest of Europe, it's bad luck, except in Germany, where it depends on the direction in which the cat is going. From right to left is bad, but from left to right is good. People used to believe that a black cat was a witch's familiar, or even a Witch herself, shape shifting. Animal shelters say it's harder to find forever homes for black cats, possibly because of the folklore, or possibly because people prefer more colourful animals. The film Black Panther, however, caused an upturn in black cat adoption by people wanting to name their pets after characters in the film. A black panther, by the way, is actually a leopard or a jaguar which has extra melanin in its skin.
6. In outer space, at night, and on worlds with no atmosphere, such as the moon, the Sky is black. The blueness of the daytime sky is caused by light being scattered by the atmosphere - so the absence of either results in a black sky. While we're talking about space, a Black Hole is defined as an area of space-time where the gravity is so strong that not even light can escape.
7. In 2008, scientists at New York's Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute announced that they had created the blackest substance ever. It was made from carbon nanotubes stood on end, and reflected just 0.045 percent of light. In 2016, scientists in Surrey, UK, produced even blacker stuff from carbon nanotubes, and called it vantablack. What's the point of it? It stops stray light from getting into sensitive Telescopes and photographic equipment.
8. "Black" is a term often used to denote ethnicity, in particular African Americans, but it has been used to describe anyone whose skin is relatively darker. The African Americans' struggle for equality became known as the Black Power movement.
9. Black was one of the first colours used by ancient artists in cave paintings. The pigment they used was made from charcoal from burning bones, and later a powder of manganese oxide. As writing developed, ink was usually black, because it was the easiest colour to read on white Paper or parchment. In the 15th century, printer's ink was made out of soot, turpentine and walnut oil. Black fabric dyes used to be made from the bark or roots of walnut, chestnut or Oak trees. The result was often more grey or blue than black, so people had to get creative - dye the fabric dark blue first, or add iron filings. Eventually, people figured out you could get a better black dye from the Oak apple or gall-nut. When somone suggested to Pierre-Auguste Renoir that black was not a colour, he said, "What makes you think that? Black is the queen of colours."
10. Other connotations of black include mystery, secrecy, depth, the unknown, and night. In China, it is associated with water, the season of winter and the direction north. In Japan, it represents experience, which is why the top grade in martial arts is the black belt.

New!

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

Amazon Kindle

Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two