Hey there! I’m John Green, and welcome to my salon. Today, we’re diving into some fascinating facts about Harry Potter. Did you know that in 2005, a doctor discovered something interesting? Right after the release of the “Order of the Phoenix” and “Half-Blood Prince” books, fewer kids ended up in the emergency room. Why? Because they were all busy reading instead of getting into trouble!
The idea for Harry Potter came to J.K. Rowling during a long train delay. She imagined a school for wizards and started writing. But did you know her manuscript was rejected about five times? Publishers thought it was too long for kids. Thankfully, it finally got published, and the rest is history!
Fun fact: J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter share the same birthday, July 31st. Rowling’s favorite animal is the otter, which is also her Patronus. Ron’s Patronus is a Jack Russell Terrier, a dog known for chasing otters. Rowling based the Dementors on her own experiences with depression, describing them as a “cold absence of feeling.”
In a 1999 interview, Rowling said the last word of the series would be “scar,” but it ended up being “all.” The love potion Amortentia smells different to everyone. Hermione never reveals the third scent she smells, but Rowling says it’s Ron’s hair.
Many fans were sad when Hedwig, Harry’s owl, died. Rowling explained that Hedwig’s death symbolized the end of Harry’s childhood. J.K. Rowling also shared that “Expecto Patronum” means “I await a protector” in Latin. She used many Latin phrases in the series, like Bellatrix, which means “female warrior.”
Originally, Arthur Weasley was supposed to die in “Order of the Phoenix,” but Sirius Black took his place. Stephen King once said Dolores Umbridge was the best fictional villain since Hannibal Lecter.
When casting for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” began in 2000, there were rumors that Frankie Muniz and Haley Joel Osment might play Harry. Steven Spielberg decided not to direct the films, opting to work on “A.I.” instead.
Rupert Grint, who played Ron, auditioned by performing a rap. Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, originally auditioned for both Harry and Ron. During the filming of “Chamber of Secrets,” there was a lice outbreak among the child actors. They also snuck candy onto the set using their robe pockets!
Did you know the actress who played Moaning Myrtle was 36 years old during “Chamber of Secrets”? Moaning Myrtle is also the name of a wizard rock band. Other cool bands include Draco and the Malfoys, Harry and the Potters, and The Whomping Willows.
Before “Deathly Hallows” was released, J.K. Rowling gave Alan Rickman hints about Snape’s true feelings, which sometimes confused the directors. In the end credits of “Goblet of Fire,” there’s a funny note: “No dragons were harmed in the making of this movie.”
For “Prisoner of Azkaban,” director Alfonso Cuarón asked the main actors to write essays about their characters. Emma Watson wrote a 16-page essay, Daniel Radcliffe wrote one page, and Rupert Grint didn’t turn his in at all!
Thanks for joining me on this magical journey through the world of Harry Potter. Remember, don’t forget to be awesome!
Imagine you are a student at Hogwarts. What would your Patronus be? Draw or describe your Patronus and explain why it represents you. Consider what qualities or memories it might be connected to. Share your creation with the class and discuss how it might protect you against Dementors.
Just like Rupert Grint auditioned with a rap, create your own rap about a character or event from the Harry Potter series. Use your creativity to incorporate fun facts or magical elements. Perform your rap for the class and see who can come up with the most magical lyrics!
Imagine you are a publisher who just discovered J.K. Rowling’s manuscript. Design a new book cover for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Think about the themes, characters, and magical elements you want to highlight. Present your design and explain your choices.
Using the information about Latin phrases in the series, create your own spell. Decide what magical effect it will have and come up with a Latin name for it. Share your spell with the class and demonstrate how it would be used in a wizarding duel or everyday magical life.
Take on the challenge given to the actors in “Prisoner of Azkaban.” Choose a character from the series and write a short essay about their personality, motivations, and development throughout the books. Discuss your essay with classmates and compare your insights into the characters.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon. This is Mental Floss on YouTube. Did you know that in 2005, a doctor conducted a study to see if children had fewer trips to the emergency room immediately after Harry Potter books were released? He found that on the weekends after “Order of the Phoenix” and “Half-Blood Prince” were released, there were half the number of children at the ER in John Radcliffe Hospital compared to the weekends directly before. This likely had something to do with the fact that they were all sitting on the couch reading rather than getting into trouble.
That’s the first of many facts about Harry that I’m going to share with you today in this video brought to you by our friends at Geico. It’s going to get very spoilery here, so only watch this if you’ve read the books and seen the movies, or if you never plan on doing either—though that would be a mistake—or if you will read the books but prefer to know everything that’s going to happen beforehand.
Let’s start with the books and then move on to the movies. The idea for Harry Potter came to J.K. Rowling when her train was delayed for four hours, giving her the time to develop the idea of a wizard school. As you may have heard, Rowling’s manuscript was rejected about five times before it was finally published. The main complaint was that it was too long for children.
Interestingly, J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter share the same birthday: July 31st. Rowling’s favorite animal is the otter, which is also her Patronus. Ron’s Patronus, on the other hand, is a Jack Russell Terrier, a breed known for chasing otters. Rowling based the Dementors in Harry Potter on her experiences with depression, describing it as a “cold absence of feeling.”
In a 1999 interview for People magazine, Rowling announced that the last word of the series was going to be “scar,” but the actual last word of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” is “all,” which gives me hope for a book eight. The love potion Amortentia smells different to everyone depending on what they like. In the book, Hermione won’t say out loud the third thing she smells in the potion, but Rowling has claimed that it’s Ron’s hair.
Many fans, including myself, do not understand why Hedwig had to die. According to Rowling, the loss of Hedwig represented a loss of innocence and security, as she had been like a cuddly toy to Harry. Voldemort killing her marked the end of childhood.
J.K. Rowling explained that “Expecto Patronum” is Latin for “I await a protector.” This isn’t the only Latin phrase in the series; for example, Bellatrix, as in Bellatrix Lestrange, means “female warrior,” which makes sense considering that Rowling was a Classics major. Rowling found many unusual plant names for the series in a 17th-century book about herbs titled “Culpeper’s Complete Herbal.”
Originally, Arthur Weasley was going to die at the end of “Order of the Phoenix,” but then Sirius Black took his place, allowing Weasley to survive to see one of his sons die and another lose an ear. Stephen King once described Dolores Umbridge as the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter.
Now, let’s move on to the movies. Back in 2000, when “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was being cast, Frankie Muniz and Haley Joel Osment were rumored to be in the running for the part of Harry. Steven Spielberg wasn’t interested in making the films, saying it would be like “shooting ducks in a barrel.” Instead, he and Haley Joel Osment went off and made “A.I.,” which didn’t yield the same financial success.
When Robert Grint auditioned for the films, he attempted to stand out by performing a rap. Tom Felton, who auditioned for both Harry and Ron, ended up being cast as Draco Malfoy. As often happens with large groups of children, there was an outbreak of lice during the filming of “Chamber of Secrets.” The kids would sneak candy onto the set, as the robe pockets were so big that they could hide sweets and drinks in them. Tom Felton takes credit for starting this trend.
The actress who played the 14-year-old Moaning Myrtle was 36 while filming “Chamber of Secrets.” By the way, Moaning Myrtle is the name of one of my favorite wizard rock bands. Other standout wizard rock artists include Draco and the Malfoys, Harry and the Potters, and The Whomping Willows.
Before the “Deathly Hallows” book was released, J.K. Rowling gave Alan Rickman hints about Snape’s true feelings so he could portray the character accurately. This sometimes caused confusion on set when a director would ask Alan to do something, and he would respond, “No, no, no, I can’t do that. I know what is going to happen, and you don’t.”
In the end credits of “Goblet of Fire,” there’s a note that reads, “No dragons were harmed in the making of this movie.” Finally, I returned to my salon to tell you that for “Prisoner of Azkaban,” director Alfonso Cuarón asked Emma, Rupert, and Daniel to write essays about their characters. Emma turned in a 16-page essay, Daniel’s was one page long, and Rupert never turned it in at all.
Thanks for watching this episode of Mental Floss on YouTube, brought to you by our friends at Geico and made with the help of all these nice people. Don’t forget to watch our other shows, and as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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Literature – Written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit. – In our English class, we are studying classic literature like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “The Great Gatsby”.
Communication – The process of sharing information, thoughts, or feelings. – Effective communication is key to understanding each other’s perspectives in a discussion.
Reading – The action or skill of understanding written or printed matter. – She spends her weekends reading novels from her favorite authors.
Writing – The activity or skill of marking coherent words on paper and composing text. – Writing essays helps students improve their critical thinking and expression skills.
Characters – The people or beings who take part in the action of a story or play. – The characters in the book were so well-developed that they felt like real people.
Stories – Accounts of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment. – The teacher asked us to write our own stories based on a historical event.
Magic – The use of special powers to make things happen that would usually be impossible. – The book was filled with magic, where wizards cast spells and mythical creatures roamed the land.
Publisher – A person or company that prepares and issues books, journals, or music for sale. – The publisher decided to release the new fantasy novel in the spring.
Manuscript – A handwritten or typed document, especially a writer’s first version of a book before it is published. – The author submitted her manuscript to several publishers, hoping for a book deal.
Fans – People who have a strong interest in or admiration for a particular person or thing. – The fans of the series eagerly awaited the release of the next book in the saga.
