J.K. Rowling, the pen name of Joanne Rowling, was born on this day in history on July 31, 1965. The British author is the creator of the wildly popular and critically acclaimed Harry Potter book series, about a young sorcerer-in-training, as Britannica.com and other sources note.
The "K" stands for Kathleen, her paternal grandmother’s name, according to Rowling's official website. "It was added at her publisher’s request, who thought a book by an obviously female author might not appeal to the target audience of young boys," the source noted.
Rowling grew up in Gloucestershire in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, in Southeast Wales, according to the official J.K. Rowling website.
Peter, her father, was an aircraft engineer at the Rolls Royce factory in Bristol and her mother, Anne, was a science technician in the chemistry department at Wyedean Comprehensive — the school that young Rowling attended, the same site indicated.
Read more on foxnews.com