On This Day: J.K. Rowling Born (1965)

Born in Yate, England. Wrote the best-selling book series in history.

Rowling conceived Harry Potter on a delayed train between Manchester and London in 1990, and spent the next several years writing while a single mother on benefits. The first book was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury accepted it in 1996. The series went on to sell over 600 million copies