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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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