JK Rowling

Rowling was Born

Jul 31, 1965

The Idea on the Train

Jan 1, 1990

Rowling came up with the idea of a young boy attending a wizarding school on a 4 hour delayed train from Manchester to London. She doesn't know where it came from, it started with Harry and then all these other ideas just flooded into her head

Her Mother Dies

Dec 30, 1990

She was writing Harry Potter when her mother died, before she could ever tell her about it. This is why there is alot of focus on the loss of his parent in the first book, Rowling knew how it felt

She gets Married

Oct 16, 1992

She has a daughter in Portugal

Jul 27, 1993

She gets a divorce

Nov 17, 1993

Rowling moves to Edinburgh, Scotland with her daughter

Dec 5, 1993

And 3 chapters of Harry Potter in her suitcase

Sometime in 1995 writing is finished for Harry Potter and The Philosipher's Stone

Jan 1, 1995

In June 1997 the book is published with Blomsbury

Jun 26, 1997

After being rejected by 15 other publishers she finally finds a publisher for her book

5 months after the book is published it wins its first award the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize

Nov 2, 1997

In early 1998 an auction is won by Scholastic for the rights to publish Harry Potter in the US

Feb 1, 1998

The second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is Published

Jul 2, 1998

In October 1998 Scholastic published the Philosopher's Stone in the US with the title of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Oct 1, 1998

Rowling now says she regrets this change

Warner Bros. Purchases the rights to make film adaptations of the First Two books

Oct 15, 1998

Film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is released

Nov 16, 2001

Film adaptation of the second book, The Chamber of Secrets, is released

Nov 15, 2002