On what date was British author J.K. Rowling born?

J.K. Rowling was born on 31 July 1965.

Rowling was born Joanne Rowling in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, and spent part of her childhood in the nearby village of Tutshill. Her birthday later became especially memorable to Harry Potter readers because it is also the fictional birthday of Harry Potter.

The date is sometimes confused with Harry Potter’s birthday because both Rowling and her character were born on 31 July. They are not the same person, of course: Rowling’s birth year is 1965, while Harry Potter’s fictional birth year is 1980.

Rowling began developing the idea for Harry Potter during a delayed train journey from Manchester to London in 1990. The first novel was published several years later, launching one of the most successful children’s-literature series in history.