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TIL that the Ice Bucket Challenge actually helped fund the the discovery of a gene linked to the cause of ALS. The gene, NEK1, and its variants held clues to understanding and treating the disease.

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VMPDB TIL that among the horrified audience who watched the television premiere of the apocalyptic nuclear war movie "Threads" on BBC was a kid named Charlie Brooker. He later cited the bleak and plausible future presented by Threads as an influence in creating the dystopian world of Black Mirror.
QLrX TIL The Japanese pilot who attacked a town in Oregon during WW2 returned years later to present his family’s 400 year old sword in apology
KYGe4 TIL that in addition to being the youngest EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner, fastest to achieve EGOT, and only EGOT winner twice over, songwriter Robert Lopez (who wrote music for such works as Disney's Frozen) broke the previous record of fastest to achieve EGOT previously held by...himself.
YpAn7 TIL A synthesizer repairman accidentally had a 9-hour acid trip after picking at a crystalline structure on an old sythesizer from the 60s which turned out to be LSD. A LSD researcher explained that LSD can remain potent for decades and be absorbed through the skin.
vR7 TIL - You can’t donate blood if you have done any of the following, even once: Had homosexual sex with a man, used a needle to inject yourself with drugs/steroids, were born in one of many African countries, have ever taken money in for sex, or had sex with an African in the last 12 months.