Your trivia for today: yellow

During the People Power Revolution of 1986, yellow was the dominant theme, the colour being associated with former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. It is now a symbol of both support for her as well as in commemoration of the popular revolt.

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Raja Petra Kamarudin

The word yellow comes from the Old English geolu, or geolwe which is derived from the Proto-Germanic wordgelwaz.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the oldest known use of this word in English is from The Epinal Glossary in the year 700.

In the English language, yellow has traditionally been associated with jaundice and cowardice.

The ancient Maya associated the colour yellow with the direction South. The Maya glyph for yellow (k'an) also means 'precious' or 'ripe'.

Yellow is traditionally associated with the Malay Rulers of Malaysia.

Yellow was also used to represent the Manchus in the new flag of China: Five Races Under One Union, and also under the flag of Manchukuo.

The legendary first emperor of China was known as the Yellow Emperor or Huang Di. Members of the imperial family of China at that time were the only ones allowed to display the colour yellow in buildings and garments.

The Yellow Turbans were a Daoist sect that staged an extensive rebellion during the Han Dynasty.

Yellow is associated with the word ‘caution’ and is the second light on traffic lights.

Yellow pan traps are used to capture insects, many of which are attracted to shades of yellow.

Yellow is also associated with aging, for both people and objects (e.g. yellowed paper).

Yellow was also the colour of the New Party in the Republic of China (Taiwan), which supports Chinese reunification.

In the United States, a yellow dog Democrat was a Southern voter who consistently voted for Democratic candidates in the late 19th and early 20th centuries because of lingering resentment against the Republicans dating back to the Civil War and Reconstruction period. Today the term refers to a hard-core Democrat, supposedly referring to a person who would vote for a ‘yellow dog’ before voting for a Republican.

In the United States yellow is also associated with the Libertarian Party, to contrast with the Green Party (green), Democratic Party (blue) and Republican Party (red).

In the United Kingdom, yellow is associated with the Liberal Democrats.

In the United Kingdom, The Monster Raving Loony Party (OMRLP) has made use of yellow, along with black, as its primary party colours.

During the People Power Revolution of 1986, yellow was the dominant theme, the colour being associated with former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. It is now a symbol of both support for her as well as in commemoration of the popular revolt.

In Europe, many liberal parties are symbolised by the colour yellow, including the Free Democratic Party (Germany), Liberal Forum (Austria), Estonian Reform Party, National Liberal Party (Romania) and Liberal and Centre Union (Lithuania). The pan-European Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party also use the colour yellow.

In football, the referee shows a yellow card to indicate that a player has been officially cautioned because he has committed a foul or has wasted time.

In American Football, a yellow flag is thrown onto the field by a referee to indicate a penalty.

Originally in Rugby League and then later, also in Rugby Union, the referee shows a yellow card to indicate that a player has been sent to the sin bin.

In auto racing, a yellow flag signals caution. Cars are not allowed to pass one another under a yellow flag.

In cycle racing, the yellow jersey - or maillot jaune - is awarded to the leader in a stage race. The tradition was begun in the Tour de France where the sponsoring L'Auto newspaper (later L'Équipe) was printed on distinctive yellow newsprint.

The term ‘yellow’ is used as a racial slur for both Asians (yellow peril) and, in the early 20th century, light-skinned African-Americans (high yellow).

Yellow (giallo), in Italy, refers to crime stories, both fictional and real. This association began in about 1930, when the first series of crime novels published in Italy had yellow covers.

The term ‘yellow movie’ can refer to films of pornographic nature in Chinese culture, and is analogous to the English ‘blue movie’.

Lastly, yellow is associated with sensational journalistic practices, or yellow journalism, and resistance to militant trade unions. ‘Yellow journalism’ is a term that refers to sensationalist journalism that distorts, exaggerates, or exploits news to maximize profit.