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TIL Hunter S. Thompson pranked Jack Nicholson on his birthday by shining a spotlight on his house, blasting a recording of a pig being eaten alive by bears, firing his pistol, and leaving an elk’s heart at the front door, while Nicholson and his two daughters hid in the basement.

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xeY5 TIL Terry Gilliam was J.K. Rowling first choice to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
wgvE TIL that in 1924, when Standard Oil was researching tetraethyl lead as a gasoline additive, 32 of 49 workers had to be hospitalized due to lead poisoning, and 5 of them died. A federal panel made entirely of industry scientists later concluded that there “no danger” from tetraethyl lead.
e0Lk5 TIL Norway practices restorative justice in their prison system and prisons mimic normal life. Prisoners get many amenities and benefits and sometimes keep their jobs on the outside while serving time, commuting daily. Norway's recidivism rate is one of the lowest in the world at 20% within 5 yrs.
Ypygx TIL that Toots & the Maytals made an unsuccessful attempt to get in the Guinness Book by recording, pressing and distributing a new album in 24hrs. Despite the fact that they managed, they did not get the record because nobody had notified Guinness book organization prior to the event.
QJlg9 TIL Guion S. Bluford was a decorated Air Force pilot in Vietnam before joining NASA in the late 1970s.In 1983,he became the first African American to travel into space when he served as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger.Before he retired he had logged 688 hours in space.