J. K. Rowling is a pen name of Joanne Rowling, the British author of
the children's fantasy series Harry Potter, the crime series Cormoran
Strike and other works. Before her first Potter novel was published on
26 June 1997, her mother died from multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1990 and
she lived on state assistance as a single parent after her marriage
failed in 1993. Separation and loss are reflected in the Potter novels,
with death and the divide between good and evil as central themes.
Despite receiving mixed reviews for perceived conventional writing,
Rowling became the world's highest-paid author by 2008. The series has
sold over 500 million copies and spawned a media franchise including
films and video games. Rowling has used her wealth to advance political
causes, as well as charitable causes centered around MS, women and
children. Her views on transgender rights have led to controversy, with
critics deeming them transphobic. She has received many accolades for
literature and philanthropy.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1886:
French chemist Henri Moissan successfully isolated elemental
fluorine (pictured in liquid state), for which he later won the Nobel
Prize in Chemistry.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorine>
1907:
Organized by Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, among others,
Bolshevik revolutionaries robbed a bank stagecoach in Tiflis, present-
day Georgia.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907_Tiflis_bank_robbery>
1997:
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the
first book in the Harry Potter fantasy novel series, is released.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
languid:
1. Of a person or animal, or their body functions: flagging from
weakness, or inactive or weak, especially due to illness or tiredness;
faint, listless.
2. Of a person or their movement: showing a dislike for physical effort;
leisurely, unhurried.
3. Of a person or their actions, character, etc.: lacking drive,
emotion, or enthusiasm; apathetic, listless, spiritless, unenthusiastic.
4. Of a colour: not bright; dull, muted.
5. Of an idea, writing, etc.: dull, uninteresting.
6. Of a period of time: characterized by lack of activity; pleasant and
relaxed; unstressful.
7. Of a thing: lacking energy, liveliness, or strength; inactive, slow-
moving, weak. [...]
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/languid>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
The real importance of Swedenborg lies in the doctrines he
taught, which are the reverse of the gloom and hell-fire of other
breakaway sects. He rejects the notion that Jesus died on the cross to
atone for the sin of Adam, declaring that God is neither vindictive nor
petty-minded, and that since he is God, he doesn't need atonement. It is
remarkable that this common-sense view had never struck earlier
theologians. God is Divine Goodness, and Jesus is Divine Wisdom, and
Goodness has to be approached through Wisdom. Whatever one thinks about
the extraordinary claims of its founder, it must be acknowledged that
there is something very beautiful and healthy about the Swedenborgian
religion. Its founder may have not been a great occultist, but he was a
great man.
--Colin Wilson
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Colin_Wilson>