Salt had a huge influence on the development of ancient civilizations because of its ability to preserve food which reduced the people's dependence on the seasonal availability of food and allowed them to travel long distances.

It was a hard-to-obtain highly valued commodity, and some historians believe that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid with salt. The other historians, however, find it a misconception since word salary derives from the Latin salārium, meaning money paid to the soldiers to buy salt.

The word salad is also connected to the salt: it comes from the popular ancient Roman dish herba salata, meaning "salted vegetables".

There are two main sources for salt: sea water and rock salt. Industrially, salt is produced in two principal ways: by the evaporation of salt water or by mining.

Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, was named "the city of salt" for its salt mines.

Table salt is 99% sodium chloride and usually contains anti-caking agents to make it free-flowing.

Salt is a crucial part of human diet, as it is involved in regulating the water content of the body. Intake of large amounts of salt in a short time (app. 1 g per 1 kg of body weight) may cause death. In ancient China nobility used salt solutions as a method of suicide.

The Salt Institute claims there are 14,000 known uses for salt.

Here are just Sixty Uses For Table Salt