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TIL the assumption that Harry Potter books have increased literacy among young people is "largely a folk legend." Research found no increase in reading among children and that children who read Harry Potter books were not more likely to go on to read outside the fantasy and mystery genres.

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N7gA6 TIL about Derek Paravicini, an autistic, blind, and severely mentally handicapped piano savant. He can play, transpose, and improvise on nearly any song he has ever heard despite his disabilities.
XERo8 TIL humans often experience ‘illusions of control’ over events we cannot actually change. While psychologists in the past thought this meant we evolved to be deluded, some neuroscientists now think these false beliefs are our brain’s rational response to an uncertain and unpredictable world.
Ad1l TIL that in 1799 Aaron Burr raised $2mil to provide drinking water to Manhattan. He used $1.9mil of that to found a bank instead, and the water he did provide was often contaminated. NYC did not have a clean water source until 1842. The bank he founded is now known as JPMorgan Chase.
d007 TIL Joan of Arc was granted a retrial by the church and declared innocent in 1456. Unfortunately, that was 25 years after she was burned at the stake.
rWde TIL there is a website with a life-size image of a blue whale that you can explore.