Harry Potter Fun Facts: 5 Things You Probably Don't Know
If you're like many Harry Potter fans, you have probably read and reread all the books and then watched each movie twice. When it comes to interesting, funny or random facts about the books, characters or actors, you probably think you have heard it all before. But have you really? Test your knowledge with these 5 Harry Potter facts.
1. J.K. Rowling was the first person who ever became a billionaire by writing books.
Her success story is even more amazing than that, because in just five years, Joanne Rowling went from living on government welfare and typing her first Harry Potter manuscript on an old manual typewriter to being listed in Forbes magazine with an estimated net worth of $1 billion.
2. Because of all the Harry Potter fans that visit Kings Cross station to see platform 9 and 10, management actually set up a Platform 9-3/4 sign where tourists can go and take photos.
Kings Cross station plays a significant role in the books, being that the Hogwarts Express leaves from there, on platform 9-3/4. In actuality though,
the platforms 9 and 10 are not adjoined by a wall, rather platform 9 is on one side and platform 10 is on another side of the rails. During the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets, the platforms had to be renumbered to remedy this problem.
A luggage cart has now been set up under the 9-3/4 sign, stuck halfway through the brick wall to give it the appearance of magically passing through on its way to Hogwarts. Tourists and Harry Potter fans are often lined up to have their photos taken there.
3. For the real die hard Harry Potter fans, some universities now offer courses which are based on the books.
At the Frostburg State University in Maryland for example, there is now an honors seminar available which has been named "The Science of Harry Potter." Other schools offering Harry Potter education include Swathmore College in Pennsylvania, which has an optional class about battling with Voldemort (which, by the way is pronounced without the T, according to J.K. Rowling herself), and Yale University is getting in on the action too with its new "Harry Potter and Christian Theology" course.
4. J.K. Rowling's "Dementors" were thought up as a result of her depression after her separation from her husband.
The Dementors in the Harry Potter books appear in a human form and are described as soulless creatures that suck the life and joy out of any victim they get their hands on. After the book came out, Rowling confided that she had suffered a dark depression, even battling with suicidal thoughts. This experience is what later inspired her to create the Dementors.
5. Michael Jackson was a big Harry Potter fan, and he even offered to do a musical version for J.K. Rowling, but Rowling must not be a fan as the king of pop's offer was politely declined.
Micheal Jackson approached J.K. Rowling with the idea of undertaking a Harry Potter musical production, but the author was unimpressed with the idea. She later commented about Micheal's proposal on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Guest Author: Gabriel Adams.
1. J.K. Rowling was the first person who ever became a billionaire by writing books.
Her success story is even more amazing than that, because in just five years, Joanne Rowling went from living on government welfare and typing her first Harry Potter manuscript on an old manual typewriter to being listed in Forbes magazine with an estimated net worth of $1 billion.
2. Because of all the Harry Potter fans that visit Kings Cross station to see platform 9 and 10, management actually set up a Platform 9-3/4 sign where tourists can go and take photos.
the platforms 9 and 10 are not adjoined by a wall, rather platform 9 is on one side and platform 10 is on another side of the rails. During the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets, the platforms had to be renumbered to remedy this problem.
A luggage cart has now been set up under the 9-3/4 sign, stuck halfway through the brick wall to give it the appearance of magically passing through on its way to Hogwarts. Tourists and Harry Potter fans are often lined up to have their photos taken there.
3. For the real die hard Harry Potter fans, some universities now offer courses which are based on the books.
At the Frostburg State University in Maryland for example, there is now an honors seminar available which has been named "The Science of Harry Potter." Other schools offering Harry Potter education include Swathmore College in Pennsylvania, which has an optional class about battling with Voldemort (which, by the way is pronounced without the T, according to J.K. Rowling herself), and Yale University is getting in on the action too with its new "Harry Potter and Christian Theology" course.
4. J.K. Rowling's "Dementors" were thought up as a result of her depression after her separation from her husband.
The Dementors in the Harry Potter books appear in a human form and are described as soulless creatures that suck the life and joy out of any victim they get their hands on. After the book came out, Rowling confided that she had suffered a dark depression, even battling with suicidal thoughts. This experience is what later inspired her to create the Dementors.
5. Michael Jackson was a big Harry Potter fan, and he even offered to do a musical version for J.K. Rowling, but Rowling must not be a fan as the king of pop's offer was politely declined.
Micheal Jackson approached J.K. Rowling with the idea of undertaking a Harry Potter musical production, but the author was unimpressed with the idea. She later commented about Micheal's proposal on the Oprah Winfrey show.
