Cleopatra was not Egyptian. She was Greek. It always surprised me how many people don't know this. In fact, "Her ancestor, the first Ptolemy, acquired Egypt . . . There was never any doubt that the rulers were Greek and until Cleopatra VII they did not even bother to learn the native language, but employed enough Egyptian tradition--to gain a grudging acknowledgment of legitimacy." (Source)
The pyramids were not (entirely) built by slaves. You see, every year the Nile river floods it's banks. During this time, the fertile lands that line the river were under water and the rural farmers were out of work. Therefore they would seek government work, which included monument building. It is, however, not unreasonable to assume that some slaves (usually prisoners captured at war) were also used in pyramid construction.
The Egyptians invented the first form of paper using the papyrus plant that grows in abundance along the Nile. The outside of the stalks are pulled apart and pounded into thin sheets and then layered to form one, strong sheet. The sheets are then left in the sun to dry. Here is a great video that shows the entire process, which is still used in Egypt today.
Guess who invented the first vending machines? Yup. That's right! Egypt had the first vending machines in Alexandria. The vending machines were placed in temples to dispense holy water in exchange for bronze coins. (Source)
Black kohl eyeliner ringed the eyes of ancient Egyptians to help shield their eyes from the sun. This is also a practice used by professional athletes today.
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