The Suez Canal official opens, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas
The Suez Canal primarily benefited the sea trading powers of the Mediterranean countries, which now had much faster connections to the Near and Far East.
Egypt
Ibn al-Haytham writes Book of Optics
The Book of Optics is a seven-volume treatise on optics and other fields of study.
Construction begins on the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was a lighthouse built during the reign Ptolemy II which has been estimated to be 100 meters in overall height and one of the tallest structures on Earth for many centuries.
Alexander the Great through conquest of Egypt, Persia, and India launches Hellenistic Age
Greek language introduced Greek literature into the former Persian Empire, thereby influencing the philosophical thought and writing of the region
Ancient Egyptians begin using papyrus as a writing surface
Papyrus is first known to have been used in ancient Egypt (at least as far back as the First Dynasty), as the papyrus plant was once abundant across the Nile Delta. Apart from a writing material, ancient Egyptians employed papyrus in the construction of other artifacts, such as reed boats, mats, rope, sandals, and baskets.
The Ancient Egyptians invent boat docks
The earliest known docks were those discovered in Wadi al-Jarf, an ancient Egyptian harbor dating from 2500 B.C.E. located on the Red Sea coast.
Construction of first Egyptian pyramid begins
The first, and largest, pyramid at Giza was built by the pharaoh Khufu (reign started around 2551 B.C.).
Egyptian physician Imhotep diagnoses cancer, perhaps for the first time in history
Imhotep was an Egyptian chancellor to the Pharaoh Djoser, possible architect of Djoser’s step pyramid, and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. Very little is known of Imhotep as a historical figure, but in the 3,000 years following his death, he was gradually glorified and deified. In his Pulitzer-prize winning “biography” of cancer – The Emperor of All Maladies – Siddhartha Mukherjee cites the oldest identified written diagnosis of cancer to Imhotep.
The Old Kingdom of Egypt begins
The Old Kingdom, in ancient Egyptian history, is the period in the third millennium (c. 2686-2181 B.C.E.) also known as the ‘Age of the Pyramids’ or ‘Age of the Pyramid Builders’.
Ancient Egyptians begin practice of mummification
The tomb was now considered a place of transformation in which the soul would leave the body to go on to the afterlife.