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TIL when Elon Musk was 28 in the year 2000 he contracted one of the most lethal forms of Malaria while on vacation in South Africa and nearly died, losing 45 pounds and taking six months to recover. He cites this near-death experience as the moment that gave him a renewed focus and energy.

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d8ja7 TIL that after decades of Florida’s convoluted fireworks law that supposedly made them illegal (but allowed the sale for unlikely purposes, which purchasers would sign “official” forms attesting to), fireworks are now legal for all residents on New Year’s and the Fourth of July.
ROyl TIL that when Len Barker pitched a perfect game for Cleveland in 1981, his grandmother said, “I’m very proud of him. I hope he does better the next time.”
ALjo TIL: The makers of Jurassic Park designed a human-sized Raptor (normally via http://ift.tt/1Us3QxY
4kmp6 TIL that each U.S. penny and nickel costs more to mint than it's actually worth
GAn0g TIL DecTalk, the text-to-speech software that Stephen Hawking used, is notoriously difficult to get legally since it has been discontinued. This is part of the reason for Moonbase Alpha's (2012) popularity, since it utilizes a modified version of the software.