2014 – Year in Review

Year in Review Overview

 

The Numbers

  • MuggleNet news posts: 1,981
  • MuggleNet page views: 9,150,885
  • MuggleNet was seen in: 216 countries, colonies, and territories by over 2,296,292 individuals during 4,255,909 sessions

 

The Stellar Seven

These were our seven most popular news stories for the year.

  1. The complete Harry Potter movie marathon aired on ABC Family.
  2. J.K. Rowling posted a new piece on Pottermore in which Rita Skeeter describes Harry Potter and his friends in their 30s attending the Quidditch World Cup.
  3. J.K. Rowling tweeted an anagram that led to a clue about the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film series, working fans into a frenzy as they attempted to solve it.
  4. J.K. Rowling revealed what the gems in the Hufflepuff hourglass are on Twitter.
  5. Warner Bros. announced that the release date for the first Fantastic Beasts film would be November 18, 2016.
  6. Shooting survivor Cassidy Stay quoted Dumbledore at the memorial for her family.
  7. MuggleNet staff and some of the actors from Harry Potter took park in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

 

The Stories

January
January 2 - Christopher Gossage, the lawyer who outed J.K. Rowling as the author of The Cuckoo's Calling, was fined £1,000.

January 6 - By popular demand, the 2014 MuggleNet fandom calendar became available digitally.

January 8 - New photos of the Diagon Alley expansion in Orlando showing the buildings beginning to take shape were released.

January 16 - Pottermore released the next installment of chapters from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

January 16 - Roger Lloyd Pack, who portrayed Barty Crouch, Sr., passed away at age 69 from pancreatic cancer.

January 17 - In a new list compiled by an online education company, six of the seven Harry Potter books ranked among UK children's favorite books.

January 21 - New trailers for the Diagon Alley expansion in Orlando were released.

January 23 - Universal Orlando Resort hosted a webcast revealing more details about the rides and shops in the Diagon Alley expansion.

January 25 - J.K. Rowling revealed exclusive information about Gilderoy Lockhart on Pottermore.

January 26 - Universal Orlando Resort gave guests a chance to check out the progress of Diagon Alley by adding viewing windows to the construction walls.

January 27 - Weasley sweaters became available for purchase at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter.

January 30 - An annotated first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone went on display at the National Library of Scotland.

January 30 - A team of students from DePaul University and University of Michigan created a Quidditch virtual reality game.

February
February 1 - The Sunday Times reported on a conversation between J.K. Rowling and Emma Watson, sparking a war between Romione and Harmony shippers.

February 4 - Signs were added to King's Cross station and Leicester Square tube station at the Diagon Alley expansion in Orlando.

February 5 - J.K. Rowling was named by CNBC as one of the world's top 200 influential people.

February 6 - MuggleNet announced the 2014 Wizolypmics in Sochi, Russia.

February 7 - The full text of the Wonderland article regarding Hermione and Ron's adult relationship was published.

February 13 - The Deathly Hallows novel made a list of the 50 Greatest Book Movie Adaptations, coming in at No. 33.

February 15 - J.K. Rowling revealed that Harry Potter's original name was Harry Batt.

February 16 - Margery Mason, who portrayed the food trolley witch in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, passed away at age 100.

February 17 - The UK cover for The Silkworm was released.

March
March 2 - Universal Orlando Resort revealed some of the menu items to be featured at Diagon Alley.

March 2 - It was announced that Sarah Phelps will be the screenwriter for The Casual Vacancy miniseries.

March 5 - J.K. Rowling signed an open letter to the British government, urging them "to protect women and children from sexual violence in conflict."

March 6 - MuggleNet announced its own contest for fans to predict the opening date of the Diagon Alley expansion in Universal Orlando Resort.

March 7 - J.K. Rowling was voted Most Inspirational Businesswoman by a British survey conducted by Crunch Accounting.

March 10 - J.K. Rowling made a list of most popular authors among British schoolchildren.

March 13 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter created a new advertisement shot by some of the original Harry Potter crew members.

March 14 - J.K. Rowling revealed Part 1 of the history of the Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore.

March 14 - Details about the Hogwarts Express ride were revealed.

March 17 - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley released new commercials offering a sneak peek of the expansion.

March 21 - Number 4 Privet Drive, a house built on a private road near Leavesden Studios, was put up for sale.

March 21 - MuggleNet addressed rumors that Emma Watson would be starring in a live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, possibly influenced by our 2013 April Fools Day prank post.

March 21 - J.K. Rowling revealed Part 2 of the history of the Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore.

March 25 - Daniel Radcliffe's stuntman for the Harry Potter series, David Holmes, opened up about the accident he suffered while filming Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2009 that left him paralyzed for life.

March 27 - Original Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban cover artwork was put up for auction starting at $20,000 and $12,500, respectively.

March 28 - Photos were released of structures beginning to take shape at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood.

March 29 - Warner Bros. announced that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be a trilogy beginning in New York.

March 30 - Ravenclaw won the Pottermore House Cup for the first time.

April
April 1 - MuggleNet’s annual April Fools’ Day prank made readers think the site was shutting down. Instead, MuggleNet launched the new and improved MuggleNet 3.0!

April 3 - Bloomsbury announced plans to publish J.K. Rowling: A Bibliography, a collection of bibliographic details on all of J.K. Rowling’s writings.

April 4 - Cologne, Germany was revealed as the next tour stop for Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

April 4 - The Harry Potter Alliance launched its annual “Accio Books!” campaign.

April 4 - J.K. Rowling attended the “Scotland, Please Don’t Go” event to benefit Scotland’s “Better Together” campaign.

April 6 - The Quidditch World Cup VII was held in North Myrtle Beach, SC, where the University of Texas at Austin emerged victorious.

April 7 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter announced the return of "Wand Week," an event allowing visitors to explore wandmaking and dueling.

April 8 - Universal Studios Hollywood revealed that its Wizarding World theme park will open in 2016.

April 11 - Pottermore ended its partnership with Sony.

April 11 - The Knight Bus was first spotted at the Diagon Alley construction site.

April 15 - Ginny Potter began reporting live from the 2014 Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore.

April 16 - LeakyCon 2016 in Los Angeles was announced, with the promise that LeakyCon would be “going back to its roots.”

April 28 - J.K. Rowling appeared as a guest editor on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, where she discussed multiple sclerosis, Scottish rugby, and her charity, Lumos.

April 28 - MuggleNet launched its monthly Quibbler contests.

April 29 - Domhnall Gleeson joined the confirmed cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

April 29 - The Harry Potter Hogwarts Collection Blu-ray/DVD set was released, at a lower price than the previously released Harry Potter Wizard’s Collection.

May
May 5 - A new species of wasp was named after the Dementor.

May 9 - Rumors emerged naming the director, John Tiffany, and writer, Jack Thorne, for the Harry Potter stage production.

May 9 - Universal released a sneak peak at the new Hogwarts Express ride.

May 13 - Universal revealed new details and concept art for the Gringotts ride.

May 13 - Warner Bros. announced that the release date for the first Fantastic Beasts film would be November 18, 2016.

May 13 - Pottermore began posting daily reports from the Quidditch World Cup.

May 16 - Daniel Radcliffe confirmed that he had not filmed new scenes for the Diagon Alley expansion, saying that he no longer wanted to continue playing Harry Potter as he got older.

May 18 - MuggleNet interviewed Alfie Enoch at the Collectormania convention in Milton Keynes, UK.

May 19 - The Harry Potter books came in at number eight on a list of the best-selling products of all time.

May 19 - A rumor circulated that Alfonso Cuarón was in talks to direct Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

May 24 - The massive Gringotts dragon was installed on top of Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley.

May 25 - Alfonso Cuarón denied any interest in directing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, saying that his work on Gravity had made him weary of extensive visual effects projects.

May 26 - Amazon removed the pre-order option for The Silkworm due to a dispute with the book’s publisher, Hachette Book Group US.

May 27 - Bloomsbury’s new Chamber of Secrets cover, illustrated by Johnny Duddle, was released.

May 28 - Harry Potter: The Exhibition opened in Norrköping, Sweden.

May 30 - Universal revealed many of the menu items from the Leaky Cauldron and Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour.

June
June 5 - Bonnie Wright and the Phelps twins toured Diagon Alley, exploring the rides and shops and tasting the food.

June 5 - Sir Michael Gambon was confirmed to star as Howard Mollison in the television adaptation of The Casual Vacancy.

June 6 - Rupert Grint joined the cast of Moonwalkers.

June 9 - Rik Mayall, who played Peeves in Sorcerer’s Stone but was cut from the final film, died at 56.

June 9 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter announced their "Bludgers and Broomsticks" feature, which ran over the summer and gave guests an in-depth look at wizarding games and sports.

June 10 - As an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland, Evanna Lynch visited Tacloban, Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.

June 10 - Dame Maggie Smith was made a Companion of Honour by the Queen of England.

June 17 - It was announced that Rupert Grint would make his Broadway debut in It's Only a Play.

June 18 - After months of speculation, Universal announced that the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley would officially open on July 8.

June 19 - The Hollywood Walk of Fame selected Daniel Radcliffe as one of 30 celebrities to receive a star in 2015.

June 19 - Robert Galbraith's The Silkworm was released.

June 23 - J.K. Rowling received the prestigious International Writers Award for her contribution to children's literature.

June 23 - MuggleNet released Part 1 of its report from the Diagon Alley media preview event, describing the magic of the London waterfront and Diagon Alley streets.

June 24 - Part 2 of MuggleNet’s Diagon Alley report detailed the delicious new food and drink items available.

June 29 - MuggleNet fan Jim Curry was chosen to represent Harry Potter on the TV show The Quest.

June 30 - Daniel Radcliffe was spotted walking multiple dogs in New York City, sparking rumors of his involvement in the comedy Trainwreck.

July
July 2 - Warwick Davis attended a special VIP screening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter.

July 3 - A location and date for the first day of filming the television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy were revealed.

July 3 - Bloomsbury revealed Jonny Duddle’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban cover for their upcoming new editions of the series.

July 3 - It was confirmed that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be filmed at Leavesden Studios.

July 7 - Emma Watson was announced as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.

July 8 - J.K. Rowling posted a new piece on Pottermore in which Rita Skeeter describes Harry Potter and his friends in their 30s attending the Quidditch World Cup.

July 8 - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley officially opened at Universal Orlando Resort!

July 11 - Actor Dave Legeno, who played Fenrir Greyback in the Harry Potter films, passed away at age 50.

July 13 - MuggleNet reported from the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley.

July 14 - Evanna Lynch and Tom Felton were both in attendance for the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Japan and MuggleNet had a report direct from the special preview engagement.

July 15 - It was revealed that J.K. Rowling paid a visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Japan before its opening, and we got new details about features exclusive to the Japan park.

July 18 - J.K. Rowling revealed new details for the Cormoran Strike novels that she pens under the name Robert Galbraith, including that she has plans for more than seven novels.

July 21 - On the seventh anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, MuggleNet staff looked back on our favorite memories and how our lives have changed.

July 25 - According to a paper published online in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, researchers from Italy and the University of Greenwich reported that students who read the Harry Potter series are less prejudiced against stigmatized groups than those who have not.

July 25 - Daniel Radcliffe revealed his alternate identity when he cosplayed as Spider-Man at San Diego Comic Con.

July 27 - Never-before-seen Harry Potter art by Mary GrandPré was featured in a new 2015 calendar.

July 30 - MuggleNet caught up with Jonny Duddle, the illustrator of Bloomsbury’s new Harry Potter covers, to discuss his new covers in an exclusive interview. Plus, the final four covers of his new editions were revealed.

July 31 - For J.K. Rowling’s birthday, a group of creative and loyal fans created a compilation of over 1,300 fans wishing her a happy birthday!

July 31 - Warner Bros. Entertainment announced their new team, the Harry Potter Global Franchise team, for overseeing the Harry Potter brand.

July 31 - The final chapters of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire were released on Pottermore.

August
August 2 - On the last day of LeakyCon 2014, it was announced the convention would now be known as GeekyCon, with LeakyCon living on as a smaller Harry Potter convention.

August 4 - The first pictures emerged from the set of BBC’s adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy.

August 5 - MuggleNet brought you an exclusive look at Jonny Duddle’s back cover art for Bloomsbury’s new Harry Potter editions.

August 6 - Possible release dates for the second and third Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them films surfaced.

August 7 - One month after the opening of Diagon Alley, Universal Orlando Resort celebrated the one millionth ride on the Hogwarts Express.

August 9 - J.K. Rowling’s charity, Lumos, released an annual report recording in numbers what they achieved in 2013.

August 14 - Universal Orlando Resort announced that they and Warner Bros. would be hosting the second annual “A Celebration of Harry Potter” expo in 2015.

August 18 - Pottermore released new information about Molly Weasley’s favorite singer, Celestina Warbeck.

August 21 - Reports indicated that David Yates, director of the final four Harry Potter films, would be returning to direct the film adaptation of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

August 26 - Harper Collins announced that Harry Potter: The Creature Vault would be released in October 2014.

September
September 5 - A new "Fountain of Fair Fortune" show premiered in Diagon Alley at Universal Orlando Resort.

September 10 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London announced their plans to unveil a permanent feature devoted to the Dark Arts.

September 10 - J.K. Rowling continued to interact with fans on Twitter and revealed that her Patronus is a pine marten.

September 16 - More information, including a release date, was announced about Harry Potter: The Creature Vault.

September 17 - A trailer for Harry Potter: The Creature Vault was released.

September 21 - Emma Watson delivered a speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to advocate for a new campaign, #HeForShe, which seeks to involve men and boys around the world in the fight for gender equality.

September 28 - Ravenclaw won Pottermore's sixth house cup.

October
October 7 - J.K. Rowling tweeted an anagram that led to a clue about the upcoming Fantastic Beasts film series, working fans into a frenzy as they attempted to solve it.

October 15 - Warner Bros. announced that David Yates will direct Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

October 16 - Warwick Davis posted a video announcing that he has been cast in the new Star Wars film.

October 19 - MuggleNet toured and reviewed the latest addition to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

October 31 - Pottermore released the first set of chapters of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

October 31 - MuggleNet announced MuggleNet Live! 2015: Expo Patronum event in London.

October 31 - J.K. Rowling released new backstory on Dolores Umbridge via Pottermore.

November
November 5 - BAFTA announced special event to honor Julie Walters’ career in December.

November 5 - Daniel Radcliffe confirmed for sequel to movie hit Now You See Me.

November 6 - Universal Orlando revealed Potter cast members will attend "A Celebration of Harry Potter" in January 2015.

November 9 - J.K. Rowling's charity, Lumos, released the video Behind the Walls to raise awareness of orphaned children in Central and Eastern Europe.

November 19 - Universal Orlando won awards for Diagon Alley, Escape from Gringotts, and technology used for interactive wands.

November 21 - Emma Thompson announced as recipient of the Richard Harris Award.

November 23 - Producer David Heyman revealed the script for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was completed.

November 26 - Lumos and J.K. Rowling announced digital awareness campaign to initiate conversation about how to end the institutionalization of children.

November 26 - J.K. Rowling changed her Twitter header image, sending fans into a flurry of theorizing what it could possibly mean.

December
December 1 - MuggleNet began annual Advent Calendar Giveaway.

December 2 - Little, Brown Book Group announced plans to publish J.K. Rowling's 2008 Harvard commencement speech as an illustrated book titled Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination.

December 8 - Pottermore addressed rumors after various media reported that J.K. Rowling would release 12 new short stories on Pottermore as part of #APottermoreChristmas.

December 10 - BBC announced plans to adapt Robert Galbraith's novel The Cuckoo’s Calling into a dramatic television series.

December 15 - Harry Potter: The Exhibition announced plans to premiere in Paris, France.

December 18 - J.K. Rowling wrote for the Guardian, expressing her desire to make changes through her charity Lumos for the benefit of institutionalized children.

December 18 - MinaLima announced a limited edition print to be released to commemorate Harry Potter: The Exhibition's stop in Cologne, Germany.

December 24 – A full recap of new moments in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince from #APottermoreChristmas.

December 27 – David Ryall, who played Elphias Doge in Deathly Hallows – Part 1, died at 79 years old.

December 28 – It was announced that John Hurt, who played Ollivander the wandmaker in the movies, would be presented with a knighthood for his impressive six decade film career.