5) Giza’s Pyramids: MASSIVE

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Yes, we’ve all seen the pyramids of Egypt on telly. They’ve almost lost their “wow” factor because we’re all so used to their iconic silhouette. It’s important to remember just how effing-jeffing mental these structures are though. After all, thousands and thousands of slaves died in the making of them, so we really should give them some credit.

Here are some snapshot, punchy, uber-facts for ya:

1) 2.3 million blocks were used in the Great Pyramid — some were as large as 30 tons.

2) They took about 20 years to build which means 12 huge blocks were lifted into place each and every hour.

3) The Great Pyramid was built 4,500 years ago but has near-perfect right angles, all aligned perfectly north, south, east and west.

4) When they were first built, the pyramids had an external façade of blocks that were highly polished. Like this:

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Can you even imagine that? I know I can’t.