I'm sure you have seen the 2016 Olympic summer games that are going on now in Rio. After an event is finished and the athletes are awarded with a gold metal, have you ever wondered why they bite down on their gold medals on the podium?

Well it's because solid gold is soft and you can bite down on the metal to leave teeth marks as a way of testing the metal.

Except the gold medals given out during the Olympics aren't actually solid gold. Which defeats the purpose of the bite test.

Prior to 1912 they USED to be sold gold! This year's golds are made up of only 1.34 percent pure gold. In 2016, an Olympic gold medal is technically only valued at about $600.

So the main reason as to why they do it, the media loves it! Actually, the athletes are encouraged to do so. Get more details here:

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