Light blue

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Main article: blue

The first recorded use of "light blue" as a color term in English is in the year 1915.^[1]

In Russian and some other languages, there is no single word for blue, but rather different words for light blue (голубой, goluboy) and dark blue (синий, siniy). The ancient Greek word for a light blue, glaukos, also could mean light green, grey, or yellow.^[2]

Light blue in human culture

Cartography

In historical atlases published in Germany, light blue is traditionally used as a color to represent Germany, as opposed to pink for England, purple for France, and light green for Russia.^[3]

Flags

The national flags of Fiji, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Micronesia, Palau, Somalia, and Tuvalu all have light blue as a dominant color.

Gender

The color light blue is used to represent boys as opposed to the color pink which is used to represent girls.

Interior design

The color light blue is commonly regarded as calming and relaxing. Because of this, sometimes it is used to paint hospital rooms.
Since the color light blue reminds many people of water (although the actual color of water is cyan), light blue is a popular color for painting bathrooms or for porcelain bathroom fixtures.

School Colors

Light blue is sometimes used as a color for the University of Cambridge, in contrast with the University of Oxford which has adopted a dark blue color.

Religion

Light Blue in Hinduism: Shiva, the Destroyer, is depicted in light blue tones and is called neela kantha, or blue-throated, for having swallowed poison in an attempt to turn the tide of a battle between the gods and demons in the gods' favour.

Other

Azzurro, a light blue, is the national color of Italy (from the livery color of the former reigning family, the House of Savoy).

King Louis IX of France, better known as Saint Louis (1214-1270), became the first King of France to regularly dress in blue. This was copied by other nobles. Paintings of the mythical King Arthur began to show him dressed in blue. The coat of arms of the Kings of France became an azure or light blue shield, sprinkled with golden fleur-de-lis or lilies. Blue had come from obscurity to become the royal color.^[4]

References

↑ Maerz and Paul A Dictionary of Color New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 190
↑ Michel Pastourou, Bleu- Histoire d'une couleur, pg. 24
↑ See the Grosshistoricher Weltatlas, 1965 edition (Other German historical atlases use these same colors.)
↑ Michel Pastoureau, Blue- Histoire d'une couleur, pg. 51-52.

Shades of blue

Air Force blue	Air superiority blue	Alice blue	Azure	Baby blue	Bleu de France	Blue	Blue-gray	Bondi blue	Brandeis blue

Cambridge Blue	Carolina blue	Celeste	Cerulean	Cobalt blue	Columbia blue	Cornflower blue	Cyan	Dark blue	Deep sky blue

Denim	Dodger blue	Duke blue	Egyptian blue	Electric blue	Eton blue	Federal blue	Glaucous	Electric indigo	Indigo

International Klein Blue	Iris	Light blue	Majorelle Blue	Maya blue	Medium blue	Midnight blue	Navy blue	Non-photo blue	Oxford Blue

Palatinate blue	Periwinkle	Persian blue	Phthalo blue	Powder blue	Prussian blue	Royal blue	Sapphire	Sky blue	Steel blue

Teal	Tiffany Blue	True Blue	Tufts Blue	Turquoise	UC Davis Blue	UCLA Blue	Ultramarine	Violet-Blue	Yale Blue

The samples shown above are indicative.

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