1. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man-made structure on Earth for over 3,800 years.

2. Ancient Egyptians invented one of the earliest writing systems, hieroglyphics, around 3200 BC.

3. Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid.

4. Ancient Egyptian physicians were skilled surgeons and even practiced early forms of dentistry.

5. Cats were considered sacred in ancient Egypt, and harming one could be severely punished.

6. Ancient Egyptians invented eye makeup, lining their eyes with kohl over 4,000 years ago.

7. The Egyptians developed a 365-day calendar, an early ancestor of the one we use today.

8. Mummification could take up to 70 days and involved carefully preserving the body.

9. The workers who built the pyramids were paid laborers, not slaves, earning bread and beer as wages.

10. The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, finally allowed historians to decode hieroglyphics.