The Wonderful World of Color – FUN FACTS

By Catherine Stier

Color is all around us – in nature, art, fashion, architecture, and of course in all the beautiful features of ourselves.

While researching the science of color for my new STEM children’s book, THE WONDER OF COLOR (Illustrated by Floss Pottage, Albert Whitman & Co. Publishers), I came across a few surprising facts:

• Sir Isaac Newton is credited with creating the color wheel in 1666. He began a series of experiments with sunlight and prisms, and noted how the prism separated the white sunlight into seven different colors.
• Most humans can see millions of different colors – but many people usually only a handful of different color-naming words to describe them (for example, blue for teal, indigo, ultramarine, etc.).
• Blue has long been thought to be the most popular color in the world, based on global surveys.
• When we see the color of an object, what our eyes really detect are the colors of the light waves that are not absorbed but bounce off an object.
• Studies are ongoing, but some scientists and researchers believe that colors can affect a person’s mood, behavior, focus and even confidence.
• In nature, color helps some birds and animals blend into their surroundings and avoid predators or conversely, stand out to attract a mate. A flowers’ bright colors attract pollinators such as bees and hummingbirds.