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TIL Aldous Huxley, the writer of Brave New World, died tripping on acid. 6 hours before his death he requested 100 micrograms of acid to be injected intramuscularly which was given to him moments later. His death, like that of CS Lewis, was overshadowed by the assassination of JFK.

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dDVE9 TIL of the "NanoHedgehog" - a molybdene compound that is large enough to be compared with proteins
wL86P TIL: NYC Central Park cost more than Alaska. New York State legislature paid about $7.4 million dollars for 843 acres starting 1853. A few years later in 1867, the US bought the 600,000 square miles of Alaska for $7.2 million
gMnmL TIL that Benjamin Franklin predicted the time of death of a fellow almanac publisher in his own almanac. When the date came and passed with nothing happening, Franklin published the obituary anyway, and insisted that the still-alive man was actually being impersonated by someone else.
W7G49 TIL that orcas spend their entire lives with their mothers. Only one whale is known to have survived alone: Luna (or Tsux'iit) was young when separated and ended up in Nootka Sound. He was adored by locals for his interactive and playful demeanor, seeking socialization intensely without his pod.
7rXLp TIL Scientists developed a brain implant that can "read people's minds and turn their thoughts to speech." Entire spoken sentences can be generated using electrical signals from brain activity. It is not yet perfect, but can be helpful for people with diseases which cause speech loss.