Historical facts:
- Salt was used to preserve Egyptian mummies,
- Napoleon’s troops died during his retreat from Russia, because their wounds did not heal as a result of a lack of salt,
- In old Japanese theatres, salt was sprinkled on to the stage before each performance to prevent evil spirits from casting a spell on the actors. In spiritual and religious practices salt is still used as a purifier, for instance before Sumo matches,
- The production and the transport of salt gave rise to new cities and to the construction of roads; such is the case of Salzburg—literally the "city of salt"—and of the via Salaria (the road of the salt) in Italy; the medieval pavement of one of the transportation routes for salt still exists in Germany where it links the inland city of Lüneburg to the German Baltic coast.
Health facts:
- Our body needs about 100 grams of salt for every 40 kilos of weight,
- Sodium is key in the operation of all signals within the cells, as well as to and from, the brain,
- Sweat contains between 2.25 and 3.4 grams of salt per liter. The rate of perspiration of a continuous effort on a hot day can easily average 1 liter per hour,
- Sea turtles cry to get rid of excess salt in their body.
Science and Technology Facts:
- There is about 35 grams of salts (mostly, sodium chloride) in a litre of seawater,
- Salt is used to remove traces of water from aviation fuel after it is purified,
- According to recent scientific findings, many salt deposits were discovered on Mars.