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The author was born
Joanne Rowling was born in Yate, England. She adopted her pen name, J.K., incorporating her grandmother's name, Kathleen, for the latter initial. -
The great idea
The idea for the book occurred to her while she was traveling on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. -
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
After a number of rejections, Rowling finally sold her first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. -
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The sequel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was published in July 1998 -
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The first book success
The book reached the top of the New York Times list of best-selling fiction in August 1999 and stayed near the top of that list for much of 1999 and 2000. -
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The third book in Rowling's series hit shelves in July 1999. By the following summer, the first three Harry Potter books had earned approximately $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. -
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The fourth book was released simultaneously in the UK and the US and broke sales records in both countries, with 372,775 copies of the book sold in its first day in the UK, almost equalling the number Prisoner of Azkaban sold during its first year. In the US, the book sold three million copies in its first 48 hours, smashing all records. -
Rowling: author of the year
Rowling was named Author of the Year in the 2000 British Book Awards. -
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Harry Potter films
A film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released on 16 November 2001, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on 15 November 2002. The film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was released on 4 June 2004. The fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was released on 18 November 2005. The film of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released on 11 July 2007. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was released on 15 July 2009. -
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
It too broke all sales records, selling nine million copies in its first 24 hours of release. -
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was released and broke its predecessor's record as the fastest-selling book of all time. It sold 11 million copies in the first day of release in the United Kingdom and United States. The book's last chapter was one of the earliest things she wrote in the entire series. -
Last films
Warner Bros filmed the final installment of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in two segments, with part one being released on 19 November 2010 and part two being released on 15 July 2011.