Now that the 2016 Rio Olympics are in full swing, many Americans have made their country proud by bringing home medals!
Michael Phelps finished his career with 28 medals total, 23 of which are gold. Simone Biles became the most awarded Olympic female gymnast in just one Olympic Games, with four gold medals and one bronze.
But as these Olympians accept their highly coveted awards, they are doing something very strange: They are biting into them!
Most are making the joke that Olympians bite their medals to check and see if they're really chocolate, but have you ever wondered why on Earth they'd bite something so important to them?
A photographer is credited for this strange habit. He wanted a good photograph! And since that first bite, the habit has stuck and photographers force Olympians to bite their medals. Some refuse and instead show it some honor with a kiss.
While this was all done with the perfect picture in mind, the act of biting gold isn't unheard of! Our teeth are stronger than real gold. So back in the day, people used to bite down on gold to make sure it was real.
This practice is fairly dated and a bit pointless when it comes to Olympic medals, as they are made with less than 2 percent gold! The medals that winners are getting this year have about 1.2 percent real gold in them. At least it makes for a very interesting photo that will get people talking!
Don't forget to SHARE this with all of your friends and family!
