3 ms·
Exploring the Vibrant World of Indigo
- rob74 3y ago> In 1865, (toxic) synthetic indigo dyes were created using petrochemicals by German Adolf von Baeyer, and this made cultivating indigo less profitable, so the industry declined significantly. According to Wikipedia, synthetic indigo is the same as natural indigo, so not especially toxic. The products used in its synthesis (which include formaldehyde and cyanide) are toxic however.
- felixyz 3y agoAccording to Joe Gioia in "The Guitar and the New World: A Fugitive History", "the blues" as a term for ennui, depression, or sadness and later a style of music (or several, really) comes from the expression blue devil which "first appeared in the early 1600s, coinciding with the dramatic increase in the New World production of indigo dye." He describes the conditions on the indigo plantations as "a hell that would have given Dante pause".