July 26

Aldous Huxley was born on the 26th in 1894. He was a writer who, on occasion, toyed a bit with pharmacology and mysticism, long before those two fields of endeavor hit their stride in the 1960s. His book, The Doors of Perception, sprang from his use of psychedelics and the band The Doors appropriated a portion of its title. Famously, on his deathbed he gave written instructions to his wife to give him a dose of LSD. His wife dutifully complied and injected him with the requested dose. He did derive great insight from his unconventional research techniques however, noting as he did, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad."