'Harry Potter', Dinosaurs, and Laundromat Economics

What is 'Harry Potter'?

“Harry Potter” is one of the most successful and influential cultural franchises in modern history—worth more than $32B. The story began as a seven-book series written by JK Rowling and published between 1997 and 2007, which was translated into more than 80 languages and has sold more than 600 million copies. 

Rowling conceived the idea in 1990 and spent seven years developing the story. After being rejected by 12 publishers, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" (as it was named in the UK) was released in 1997 with an initial run of just 500 copies. The series went on to become an international phenomenon, dominating bestseller lists and transforming the young adult genre.

The franchise soon expanded beyond the books: Blockbuster films, stage plays, theme parks, and video games transformed Harry Potter into a global cultural empire—its influence visible in language, fan communities, and popular culture worldwide.

... Read what else we learned about the phenomenon here.

Also, check out ... 

> Rowling invented the game Quidditch, which is now a real sport. (More)

> Go behind the scenes of the making of the Potter films. (More)

> The invented word "muggle"—nonmagical folk—entered the dictionary in 2003. (More)

> Publishers asked Rowling to use her initials to disguise her gender. (More)

In partnership with Babbel

Here’s How to Learn a New Language in 3 Weeks

“Meglio tardi che mai”. If you speak Italian, you know that means “Better late than never”... and if you don’t speak, well, maybe it’s time to take that advice and learn.

Lucky for you, there’s never been a better time to do so than with early access to Babbel’s Black Friday Sale. You get unlimited lifetime access to all 14 languages on their platform, including award-winning instruction, bite-sized lessons, bingeable podcasts, and interactive speaking practice – all for 60% off. Plus, each and every lesson was crafted by top language experts to make them as digestible and practical as possible, so you can be speaking a new language in as little as 3 weeks. As the Italians would say, Mamma Mia!

Take advantage of Babbel’s 60% Lifetime discount for a limited time during their Black Friday Sale. 

Please support our sponsors!

In partnership with Babbel

Solve Your Travel Woes

We can’t fix flight delays or lost baggage, but if not speaking the native tongue has kept you from globetrotting, we’re here to help. It’s one challenge travelers face around the world, but rather than dwelling on the problem, let’s talk about a solution: Babbel.

Lucky for you, there’s never been a better time to learn thanks to early access to Babbel’s Black Friday Sale. You get unlimited lifetime access to all 14 languages on their platform, including award-winning instruction, bite-sized lessons, bingeable podcasts, and interactive speaking practice – all for 60% off. Plus, each and every lesson was crafted by top language experts to make them as digestible and practical as possible, so you can be speaking a new language in as little as 3 weeks. As the Italians would say, Mamma Mia!

Take advantage of Babbel’s 60% Lifetime discount for a limited time during their Black Friday Sale. 

Please support our sponsors!

Dinosaurs, 101

Dinosaurs are terrestrial reptiles that lived on Earth during the Mesozoic Era, from about 245 million to 66 million years ago. While humans have encountered fossilized dinosaurs for millennia, they were not identified as a group of extinct creatures until 1842. This sparked an interest in fossil hunting that has led to the discovery of about 1,000 species as of 2025—though scientific models suggest that as many as 500,000 species may have existed.

Early dinosaurs' feather coats and ability to walk upright facilitated their adaptation to changing environments after two mass extinction events wiped out most other species, including their amphibious competitors. Research suggests dinosaurs exhibited many characteristics of modern-day animals, including herd-like social structures, varied diets, and visual and auditory communication.

The age of dinosaurs ended when an asteroid larger than Mount Everest struck Earth in what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, producing a mass extinction event endured by small nonavian dinosaurs that evolved into today's birds.

... Read our full explainer on dinosaurs here.

Also, check out ... 

> Dinosaurs ranged from the size of chickens to multistory buildings. (More)

> Explore the origins of dinosaur names. (More)

> Dinosaur portrayals in film mistakenly limit them to only living in tropical climates. (More)

> Explore an interactive timeline and map of dinosaurs across the globe. (More)

What is consulting?

Consulting is a broad industry focused on helping organizations solve a wide range of problems they lack the ability to address on their own, also known as professional services. These may include launching a new product, guiding large-scale organizational changes, or advising on critical business decisions around growth strategy, organizational structure, and digital transformation. 

Consulting firms have a significant amount of influence, working with clients from Fortune 50 businesses to the federal government. But despite the global consulting industry’s size (it was valued at roughly $710B as of 2023), its inner workings can be opaque. Consulting firms’ clients and the problems they help solve are typically kept confidential, and their efforts are often largely invisible to the general public.

The “Big Three”—McKinsey, BCG, and Bain—and the accounting-focused “Big Four”—Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY—consulting firms are often considered the world’s most prestigious and well-known consulting firms. They collectively made up about 20% of the global consulting market by revenue in 2023.

... Read our full write-up on consulting here.

Also, check out ... 

> How McKinsey became one of the most powerful firms in the world. (More)

> Firms often work for both a company and its regulators simultaneously. (More)

> Critics argue US corporations are too dependent on the industry. (More)
> Consulting jobs are some of the most sought-after by Ivy grads. (More)

Best of the Week

We added 192 resources this week to our knowledge collective—here are some of our favorites.

Charting the size of the federal workforce since 1939.

An estimated 30,000 US laundromats serve 50% of apartment dwellers with no washer.

Investors own roughly $28T in US Treasury securities, from bonds to T-bills.

How scientists study evolution using 40 years of E. coli generations.

NASA's 11 primary spacewalk spacesuits are over four decades old. 

Ten of the most horrifying moments in film. 

Did major investment avert the Y2K disaster, or was it never an issue?

Three key physical markers doctors use as signs of aging.

When the quarterback says "Blue 42," it's mostly about rhythm, not words.

How a Kennedy scion's murder conviction was overturned—and the best guess at who really did it.

The time an F1 team purposefully crashed one car to help a teammate win.

Semaglutides have amazing knock-on benefits—and some unexpected side effects.

Watch a pro butcher transform half a pig into eight common meat cuts.

A real-life account of eighth-century Frankish peasants Bodo and Ermentrude. 

One of Alaska's homegrown musical traditions is known as Athabascan fiddling.

In partnership with Babbel

Learn A New Language, Experience the World

Italian film director Federico Fellini said, "A different language is a different vision of life." Start seeing the full picture with Babbel. 

Babbel’s award-winning platform helps you start speaking a new language in as little as 3 weeks. From bite-sized lessons to live speaking practice, podcasts, and more, Babbel has everything you need to pick up a new dialect. Their Black Friday Sale just went live; save 60% off a lifetime Babbel subscription before the sale ends.

Please support our sponsors!

In partnership with Babbel

Learn A New Language, Experience the World

Italian film director Federico Fellini said, "A different language is a different vision of life." Start seeing the full picture with Babbel. 

Babbel’s award-winning platform helps you start speaking a new language in as little as 3 weeks. From bite-sized lessons to live speaking practice, podcasts, and more, Babbel has everything you need to pick up a new dialect. Their Black Friday Sale just went live; save 60% off a lifetime Babbel subscription before the sale ends.

Please support our sponsors!

1440 Science & Technology

1440 Society & Culture

1440 Business & Finance

Historybook: Blues musician WC Handy born (1873); UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, is founded (1945); Benazir Bhutto elected prime minister of Pakistan, becomes first woman in modern history to lead Muslim-majority country (1988); Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman dies (2006).