Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
In addition to his work in anthropology at the University of Chicago, Vonnegut also studied chemistry pretty extensively (source). In fact, he also felt very strongly that, "Literature should not disappear up its own a--hole, so to speak" (source). In other words, we should be encouraging scientists and doctors to write more—fiction should not just be the work of explicitly literary people. So take note, future chemists, biologists, and doctors of the world! Consider following in Vonnegut's footsteps and writing fiction.
Unlike Billy Pilgrim, Vonnegut was not drafted into the military in World War II. He joined up voluntarily in 1942 and was given supplemental engineering training before heading out to Luxembourg to fight the Battle of the Bulge. (Source)
Vonnegut struggled all his life with depression, culminating in a suicide attempt in 1984. He survived this attempt and passed away over 20 years later, at the age of 84, on April 12, 2007. (Source)