Harry Potter Turns 20. Here's How the Internet Is Celebrating

Facebook, Google getting in on the action
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2017 6:41 PM CDT
Harry Potter Celebrates 20 Years
Four of the 30 copies of the six Harry Potter books remain on a shelf at the Crawfordsville District Public Library in Crawfordsville, Ind., Wednesday, July 18, 2007.    (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The first book in JK Rowling's Harry Potter series was released on June 26, 1997. A roundup of the celebration surrounding the series' 20th anniversary:

  • Facebook has added a fun "easter egg" for anyone who includes the words "Harry Potter," "Gryffindor," "Slytherin," "Ravenclaw," or "Hufflepuff" in their posts, the Next Web reports.
  • Google also got in on the fun, allowing fans to take a Google Earth tour of the locations that inspired Rowling and the producers of the Potter films, Variety reports.
  • Huffington Post has a list of more small ways to celebrate the day, from making your own butterbeer to trying your hand at the New York Times' Potter-themed crossword puzzle.
  • You can listen to the first story NPR ever aired about the Potter series here.

  • The first book was released in the UK as Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; in the US, the title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The Huffington Post delves into the reasoning behind the switch.
  • Variety looks at the best scenes and plotlines from the books that didn't make it into the movies.
  • Quartz has a list of the worst names from the series. ("The Fat Lady"? Really?)
  • Entertainment Weekly rounds up the 10 most highlighted lines in the Kindle editions of the books.
  • Even ESPN is getting in on the celebration; it has a list of the top five sporting moments from the series.
(More Harry Potter stories.)

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