rural charm of old day

One from the archive today...
a reader from Smithsonian Magazine asks :
Why are barns Red? --
A) " Because of stardust says David DeVorkin, a historian at the National Air and Space Museum. Red Paint was once cheaper than other colors because its color came from iron, an element that's plentiful in Earth's crust and was forged in the hearts of stars. When iron is exposed to oxygen it forms iron oxide. The redness of bricks comes from iron oxide. -- and so does the redness of the rust farmers once mixed with linseed oil to protect thier barns wood. One way or another, red barns have always owed thier color to this cosmic compound." ---
( Smithsonian April 2021 Pg. #84 )