100 Interesting Facts about Africa – Part 2

By examining high-resolution satellite imagery with algorithms developed via trial-and-error, Sarah Parcak and her team have discovered 17 pyramids, 1,000 tombs, and over 3,100 settlements in Egypt alone. She now wants to crowdsource "space archaeology" to prevent looting of ancient sites.

52. Because of his interest in Egyptology and difficulty fitting in with his French family, Christian Louboutin invented an elaborate fantasy in which he'd been adopted from Egypt. Years later, he learned that his biological father was, in fact, Egyptian.

53. In ancient Egypt, men could take time off of work to care for menstruating wives and daughters.

54. A woman made great contributions to Egyptology after hitting her head as a toddler and claiming to have unlocked a past life as a priestess in Ancient Egypt.

55. The CIA Project to Overthrow the King of Egypt was Called Project FF (Fat Fu*ker).

After Marilyn Monroe converted to Judaism upon marrying Arthur Miller, Egypt placed a ban on all the films she appeared in.

57. The dagger found in Tutankhamun's tomb was made from iron from a meteorite

58. Julius Ceasar's only biological son, Caesarion, was the last Pharaoh of Egypt.

59. In Egypt, actors were not allowed to testify in court because they were seen as professional liars

60. In ancient Egypt, couples were considered married whenever they moved in together wedding ceremonies were reserved for the upper classes.

In Ancient Egypt, the deceased bodies of beautiful and high-ranking women were left to decay for 3 to 4 days before being sent off for embalming. They did this to discourage necrophilia (sex with the dead).

62. A group of raiders (Sea People) that nearly toppled ancient Egypt. We know nothing about where they came from or who they were.

63. In ancient Egypt, any books found in ships coming into port would be brought immediately to the library of Alexandria and be copied. The original would be kept in the library and the copy given back to the owner.

64. The Ottoman Turks unknowingly used the Rosetta Stone as a building slab for a military fort. The French captured the fort and became fascinated with the Stone, which unlocked the lost secrets of Ancient Egypt.

65. Between Egypt and Sudan, there is a strip of land that neither country will acknowledge as part of their territory. It is one of the few unclaimed regions on earth.

Many ancient Egyptian Pharaohs were overweight and unhealthy, in contrast to their typical depiction. That was likely due to a sugary diet of alcohol, bread, and honey.

67. In Ancient Egypt, dwarfs were seen as people who had celestial gifts, were treated with the greatest respect and enjoyed the highest social positions.

68. Anwar Sadat of Egypt made peace with Israel in 1979, the first Arab nation to do so. For this, Sadat won the Nobel Peace Prize, Egypt was suspended from the Arab League, and Sadat was assassinated.

69. There is evidence to support that Ancient Egypt had proctologists and their term for the position literally translates to "shepherd of the anus".

70. A Roman envoy stopped the Seleucid invasion of Egypt by drawing a circle around their king and daring him to literally cross the line.

The Slaves Didn't Build Pyramids of Egypt. They were laborers who were respected for their work and were bestowed the honor of being buried in the tombs near the sacred pyramids of their pharaohs.

72. Over 2000 years ago, Eratosthenes estimated the Earth's circumference using good old math, without ever leaving Egypt, and he was accurate to within 2%

73. The pyramids were built by slaves is a myth caused by Herodotus the Greek historian and explorer when he visited Egypt 2000 years after they were built.

74. Israeli secret service, the Mossad, hatched a plan in the 1950s to bomb areas in Egypt where Americans gathered, and make these attacks appear to be the work of Muslim extremists. The plot was discovered and it's known as 'The Lavon Affair'.

75. Ancient Egyptians used meteorites as jewelry