The video explores the concept of the color blue and its significance in human history. The narrator, Vsauce Kevin, discusses how blue was not a prominent color in ancient times, and it was not until the 13th century that blue became a distinct color in languages. He explains that blue was not a common color in nature, and it was not until the development of new pigments and dyes that blue became more widely used.
Kevin also talks about how the ancient Greeks did not have a word for blue and how the color was often associated with black or white. He mentions that the word "blue" comes from the German and Arabic words for the color, which were developed during the Middle Ages.
The video also discusses the impact of blue on art, architecture, and culture, including the development of ultramarine pigment, which was used in paintings and was extremely valuable. Kevin also mentions the invention of Prussian blue, which was used to create blueprints and revolutionized architecture.
The video concludes by discussing how blue has become the most popular color in the world and how it has changed the way we see life. Kevin also talks about the perceptual phenomenon of synesthesia, which allows some people to see emotions as colors, and how the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch used this phenomenon in his artwork.
Overall, the video is a thought-provoking exploration of the color blue and its significance in human history and culture.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. For most of human history, there was no blue pigment.
2. Ancient humans had the same biological visual systems for observing colors as we do today.
3. Clothing dyed blue with Indigo has existed from the Indus Valley to the Han Dynasty in China.
4. Blue paint existed, but the rainbow of colors was missing blue in old paintings.
5. Blue is not a common color in nature, with less than 10% of flowers appearing bluish due to the natural modification of a red pigment called anthocyanin.
6. Blue animals are not very common, with some exceptions like bluebirds and the blue-footed booby.
7. The Egyptians imported the rare blue stone lapis lazuli from thousands of miles away 6,000 years ago.
8. Blue eyes have only existed for about 7,000 years and were traced to a common ancestor in Spain.
9. People with blue eyes only represent about 8% of the population.
10. Classical Arabic and Persian poetry frequently referred to the sky as green, and up until the 13th century, the sky was primarily considered white.
11. The sky can appear white, gray, or black depending on the weather and time of day.
12. Water can appear gray, green, or have no color at all.
13. In languages ranging from old Irish to Japanese, green and blue were once a single word.
14. The Greeks had a word "glaucos" that could mean light blue, but it was more about describing the feeling of a color.
15. The Hebrew word "tekhelet" described a colorant that could be used to dye garments blue or violet.
16. The Egyptians had a word for their blue pigment "erzio", but the complicated process of making it was lost after the fall of Rome.
17. The most common modern words for blue derived from German and Arabic, who made and traded blue in the 13th century.
18. Woad began being produced on a large scale for dyeing clothes in the 13th century, making blue more accessible.
19. The word "Blau" was used to describe the color blue in German.
20. The word "Azure" comes from the Arabic word "lazawi", which was used to describe Cobalt oxide blue glass and ceramics, as well as lapis lazuli.
21. Ultramarine was the first truly vibrant blue pigment in the world and was extremely rare and expensive.
22. It took an accident with red blood to bring blue to the world, when a pigment maker named d-spock accidentally invented an affordable, long-lasting true blue.
23. The pigment was named Prussian Blue after its use as a dye for Prussian army uniforms.
24. Prussian Blue revolutionized Japanese woodblock painting, which went on to influence manga and Japanese animation.
25. Prussian Blue was used by English astronomer Sir John Herschel to invent blueprints, eliminating the need for architectural drawings to be hand-copied.
26. The explosive popularity of rugged denim jeans brought blue to everyone.
27. Sir Isaac Newton divided the visible spectrum into five colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and violet, and later added orange and indigo.
28. The invention of blue didn't just alter the landscape, but allowed us to advance from simply observing our surroundings.
29. The question "why is the sky blue" has two answers: the scattering of shorter, smaller blue light waves from the sun, and the discovery of blue as a color.