J. K. Rowling is a British writer and author of the Harry Potter
fantasy series. The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won
multiple awards, and sold nearly 400 million copies. The 2007 Sunday
Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune at £545 million, ranking
her as the 136th richest person and the 13th richest woman in Britain.
Forbes has named Rowling the second-richest female entertainer in the
world, and ranked her as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007.
Time named Rowling as a runner-up for their 2007 Person of the Year
noting the social, moral, and political inspiration she has given her
fandom. She has become a notable philanthropist, supporting such
charities as Comic Relief, the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Great
Britain and One Parent Families. Harry Potter is now a global brand
worth an estimated $15 billion (£7 billion), and the last four Harry
Potter books have consecutively set records as the fastest-selling
books in history. The series, totalling 4,195 pages, has been
translated, in whole or in part, into 65 languages.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._K._Rowling
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1241:
Mongol invasion of Europe: Mongols led by Batu Khan and Subutai
crushed the Hungarian army of King Béla IV at the Battle of Mohi near
the Sajó River in Hungary.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mohi)
1713:
The main agreements of the Treaty of Utrecht were signed in the
Dutch city of Utrecht, helping to end the War of the Spanish
Succession.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Utrecht)
1888:
The Concertgebouw concert hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, was
inaugurated.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concertgebouw_%28Amsterdam%29)
1945:
World War II: American forces liberated the Buchenwald concentration
camp near Weimar, Germany.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchenwald_concentration_camp)
1979:
Ugandan-Tanzanian War: The Uganda National Liberation Army and
Tanzanian forces captured Kampala, forcing Ugandan President Idi Amin
to flee.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idi_Amin_Dada)
2002:
In a coup attempt, members of the Venezuelan military detained
President Hugo Ch√°vez and demanded his resignation.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_Venezuelan_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat_attempt)
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Wiktionary's Word of the day:
shoehorn: To exert great effort to insert or include something; to
insert by force or extreme measures.
(
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shoehorn)
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Wikiquote of the day:
When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be
free.
-- Charles Evans Hughes
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Evans_Hughes)