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  • Explanation: Despite having a great many features which seem positively modern to our eyes, like public restrooms and clean water supply, other practices of the ancient Romans were less... intuitive to our eyes. Swishing fermented urine, for example, was used as a method of whitening teeth.

    Worst part is, it works, though not nearly as well as any modern methods. It's the ammonia.

    • Another one that always surprised me was in using lead to sweeten wine.

      But I'm sure historians 2,000 years from now will look at all the dumb dangerous poisonous things we're doing to ourselves today and wonder what the hell was wrong with us.