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SPORTS STORIES: QUIDDITCH
If you’re a Harry Potter fan, the fictional game of quidditch is a familiar one to you. But did you know that a genuine team sport has developed from the fantasy films? Follow along as Tidbits outlines the rules of the game said to be played by wizards.
• Author J.K. Rowling invented the make-believe sport for her book series, with the game appearing for the first time in the 1997 novel Harry Potter & and Philosopher’s Stone. Witches and wizards attempt to score goals against the opposing team while flying through the air astride broomsticks. The playing field is a large oval with three ringshaped goals of differing heights. Each team has seven players: three Chasers, two Beaters, the Keeper, and the Seeker. There are three balls in the game, the leather quaffle, which is used by the Chasers to score goals by throwing through the hoops, the Bludger, which is used by the Beaters to throw at the opposing players to hit or distract them, and
the Golden Snitch. The Snitch, the smallest ball of the match, is a golden sphere attached to two silver wings for flight. Its point value is the highest at 150 points, and can only be caught by the team’s Seeker. Catching the Snitch marks the end of the game. In the fantasy novels, Harry Potter acted as the Seeker of the Hogwarts school team.
• Harry Potter’s very first quidditch match pitted his Gryffindor team against the Slytherin team. The final score was 170 points for Gryffindor to 60 points for Slytherin. The game commenced following the words of Madam Hooch, “Mount your brooms, please.”
• Inspiration for the game of quidditch was partially provided by some ancient European games of legend. The German game of Stichstock also called for mounted broomsticks and attempting to pierce an inflated dragon bladder. The Irish played Aingingein astride broomsticks amidst a course of burning barrels, while the Scots played Creaothceann, a violent game that involved players strapping cauldrons to their heads. A large
number of boulders were released and players riding the broomsticks tried to catch the highest number of rocks in their cauldrons.
• Vermont’s Middlebury College created the actual team sport of quidditch in 2005. While the players aren’t flying wizards, the principle of the game is basically the same. Two teams of seven players each straddling broomsticks meet each other on a rectangular field (unlike the fictional oval) and attempt to pass a ball through the defenders’ hoops, while keeping their opponents from passing it through their own. In order to keep the real sport separate from the fictional one, today’s game is often referred to as “muggle quidditch.” This takes its nickname from a person in the Harry Potter series with no magical abilities being called a “muggle.”
• The word “quidditch” was added to Oxford dictionaries in April, 2017.
Text by Tidbits©
By Lucie Winborne
• Africa is the only continent with land in all four of Earth's hemispheres.
• Programmer Terry Davis, who suffered with schizophrenia, spent a decade working on an operating system to "talk to God."
• The highest golf course in the world is the Tuctu Golf Club in Morococha, Peru, sitting 14,335 feet above sea level at its lowest point.
• Vladimir Putin's grandfather worked as a chef for Rasputin, Lenin, and Stalin.
• Bluetooth technology was named after 10thcentury King Harald Bluetooth, who united Denmark and Norway, just like technology united computers and cellphones.
• Colonel Sanders got fired from a dozen jobs, was a lawyer who once assaulted his own client in court, started a restaurant that went out of business, and found himself broke at the age of 65. That's when he started KFC.
• The Mayans drilled holes in their teeth to insert semiprecious stones.
• North Korea's 105-story Ryugyong Hotel, nicknamed "The Hotel of Doom," is one of the world's tallest unoccupied building.
• Iceland has an official book-buying season that runs from September through December. More than half of all the books sold in the country are purchased during the month before Christmas.
• Australian compass termites construct their mounds on a northsouth axis.
• According to a study of 79,777 patients, violent criminals had a much lower level of cholesterol than nonviolent individuals.
• Linonophobia is a fear of string.
• Hasbro has a "Monopoly Speed Die" and an official rulebook for "extreme" Monopoly variants.
• Composer Richard Wagner used to preserve his own nose hair clippings for posterity.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
Thought for the Day: "If you always have something in your life that you're trying to improve upon, then every day you have a reason to get out of bed, and you have a reason to achieve something and feel good."
-- Nick Offerman
SUPERSTITIONS
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say “rabbit” three times, while others maintain that you must say “white rabbit” in order to have good fortune.
• According to a Russian superstition, you should never wish someone “Happy Birthday” before the actual day arrives. They say celebrating a birthday early not only brings bad luck, it shortens the lifespan. How about blowing out birthday candles? One superstition says that blowing out all the candles in one breath means that the birthday boy or girl will be married within a year. If candles are left burning, the number of candles signifies how many years will pass before the person marries. Birthday candles got their start with the ancient Greeks, who baked round cakes symbolizing the moon, decorated with candles signifying the stars of the night sky. The smoke from the candles being blown out supposedly carries the individual’s wish to the heavens. The Chinese tell us not to even think of reusing old birthday candles from a previous year, as this will invite
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SUPERSTITIONS
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misfortune. New candles represent a fresh start to a new year.
• “Step on a crack, you’ll break your mother’s back.” This superstition’s roots speak of cracks symbolizing a boundary between the spheres of the living and the dead. Stepping on a crack attracts a demon or negative energy to escape and bring harm.
• There are many superstitions associated with the tiny acorn. The ancient European women kept an acorn in their pocket to be guaranteed a youthful complexion into old age, as well as warding off illness. To soldiers, it symbolized protection from harm and they carried acorns in their pockets for good luck in battle. Others held on to the nut to ground themselves in their spiritual beliefs and values and as a reminder for balance in their lives. In other cultures, it was connected to fertility.
• Those in the Latin American and Mediterranean cultures rub an egg over the body of a newborn child, then break the egg and put it in a glass of water underneath the bed. The culture believes that the egg absorbs negative energy and illness and protects from “mal de ojo,” or “evil eye” that brings harm.
• Opening an umbrella indoors is said to “rain” bad luck on you. The ancient Egyptians used umbrellas, not as a shield from rain, but rather from the intense heat of the sun. As a result,
an umbrella became associated with their sun god Ra and opening the umbrella indoors was considered disrespectful toward Ra, with the outcome of a curse or misfortune sent into the person’s life. The Europeans believed that every house was protected by guardian spirits, which were disturbed and annoyed when an umbrella was opened inside, resulting in bad luck being brought upon the home.
• Cheers! Why do we clink glasses with others as a toast? In medieval times, celebrations often carried the threat of ale, beer, and wine being poisoned. Trustworthy hosts often poured some of their own drink into the glasses of others to assure them that there was no poison. If the guests trusted the host, they clinked their glass into his as a pledge of confidence that swapping drinks was unnecessary. A German superstition proclaims that you better not be offering cheers with water in your glass. If you do that, you’re wishing death upon your fellow revelers.
• Folks in Nigeria never kiss babies directly on the lips. They believe that this dooms the child to an entire life of drooling. Another Nigerian superstition states that you must never whistle at night. This action wakes the dead, who in turn whistle back and will escort you back to their graves.
• The obvious reason for not walking under a ladder is that it’s simply unsafe, particularly if someone is standing on it! But in medieval
times, it was bad luck because the ladder symbolized the gallows where people were hanged. The Egyptians believed that if people walked under a ladder, they might accidentally see a god climbing up or down. Simple solutions
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1. GEOGRAPHY: Mount Everest is part of which mountain range?
2. MOVIES: Which color film was the first to win an Academy Award for Best Picture?
3. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our solar system is believed to be the windiest?
4. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Where is the U.S. Constitution stored?
5. ANIMAL KINGDOM: What is a group of lemurs called?
6. TELEVISION: Which city is the setting for the dramatic series "The Wire"?
7. GEOLOGY: Which country has the most active volcanos?
8. LITERATURE: Which character in a Charles Dickens novel famously said, "Please, sir, I want some more"?
9. ART: Which Dutch artist is considered a master of light and shadow, creating dramatic effects in paintings?
10. SCIENCE: What is an ectothermic animal?
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1. The Himalayas.
2. “Gone With the Wind.”
3. Neptune.
4. The National Archives.
5. A conspiracy.
6. Baltimore, Maryland. 7. Indonesia. 8. Title character in “Oliver Twist.” 9. Rembrandt. 10. Cold-blooded.
• On April 7, 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent a letter to Congress endorsing America's participation in an international campaign to preserve ancient temples and historic monuments in Egypt's Nile Valley. The campaign was initiated by UNESCO with the aim of saving sites threatened by the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
• On April 8, 1994, the body of grunge rocker Kurt Cobain was discovered at his home in Seattle by a workman. The heroin-addicted, troubled artist had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, leaving behind fellow rocker Courtney Love, his wife, who had reported him missing, and toddler daughter Frances Bean Cobain.
• On April 9, 1859, 23-year-old writer Samuel Langhorne Clemens received his steamboat pilot's license. He navigated his own boats for two years until the Civil War put a halt
to steamboat traffic, and in 1861 penned a humorous travel letter signed "Mark Twain," a pseudonym he would continue to use as a popular author for nearly five decades.
• On April 10, 1975, 41-year-old Lee Elder became the first Black golfer to play in the Masters, considered the sport's most prestigious event. The Professional Golfers' Association, organizer of the main professional tours played by men in North America, hadn't approved participation by African Americans in events it cosponsored until 1952.
• On April 11, 1979, Ugandan dictator Idi Amin fled the capital of Kampala as Tanzanian troops and forces of the Uganda National Liberation Front began to close in. Two days later, Kampala fell and a coalition government of former exiles took power. Amin, who
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to thwart the bad luck include putting your thumb between your index and middle fingers as you walk under the ladder or just saying “bread and butter” as you walk. Another prevention measure is to cross your fingers and keep them crossed until you see a dog.
• How many times have you and a friend said exactly the same word at exactly the same time? One superstition steadfastly maintains that this means you’ll never get married. There is a quick remedy for the action, though, which is simply touching your nose immediately to undo the action. Some legends say touch something red. Others view speaking in unison in a positive light. It calls for linking pinky fingers and making a wish while reciting, “Needles, pins, the chimney’s a-smoke, your wish and my wish will never be broke!”
• Is it really bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding? This superstition came into being during the time of arranged marriages. If the groom saw the bride, he might have considered her ugly and could call off the wedding. This was also the “logic” for brides wearing veils to cover their faces.
Text by Tidbits©
was notorious for his brutality, escaped to Libya and eventually settled in Saudi Arabia, where he died in August 2003.
• On April 12, 1861, the American Civil War began after Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
• On April 13, 1360, a hailstorm killed an estimated 1,000 English soldiers in Chartres, France. One survivor described it as "a foul day, full of mist and hale, so that men died on horseback."
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
BARN M aGIC M a Z e
Q: Is it true that Lucy Hale was almost Hannah Montana? Can she sing? -- K.W.
A:Yes, Lucy Hale, who is best known for her role on the teen drama series "Pretty Little Liars," is a vocalist as well as an actress. She won "American Juniors," a children's spin-off of "American Idol," and she's also released several singles over the years.
She also submitted a taped audition for the lead role in the Disney series "Hannah Montana," but the role eventually went to Miley Cyrus. She did, however, end up guest-starring on another teen sitcom "Drake & Josh."
Hale says despite losing out on the role that made Cyrus a star, she is grateful for the experience of auditioning, since it made her want to become an actress.
Q: I was upset to learn that "FBI: International" has been canceled. Is there a chance that Jesse Soffer could return to "Chicago P.D." now? I hope so. -- N.E.
A: CBS recently announced the cancellation of not only "FBI: International" but another spin-off, "FBI: Most Wanted." While the "FBI" franchise might not be as popular as NBC's "Chicago," it's still a popular commodity for the network, which is why they're launching a new spin-off to
fill the void of both procedurals. According to Screen Rant, "'FBI: CIA' will involve the two named agencies cooperating together to prevent acts of domestic terrorism" with two main characters -- one from each agency. It will mostly be set in New York City. While it's not officially greenlit for the fall schedule, "FBI: CIA" is expected to be premiering then. In fact, the show will first air this spring as a "back-door pilot" during "FBI," which is the original flagship series that started it all. "FBI" is currently in its seventh season on CBS and airs on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET.
A: Yes, Jason Sudeikis, who plays the titular role of the eternally optimistic football coach, has made it official! "Ted Lasso" will be back on Apple TV+ for a fourth season. The announcement arrives a full two years since the airing of what was presumed to be the series finale. The actor recently announced on the Kelce Brothers' "New Heights" podcast that Ted would be coaching a women's football team this time.
As far as casting news, the only returnees we know for certain in this early stage of development are Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca), Brett Goldstein (Roy) and Jeremy Swift (Higgins).
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
As far as the cast of the new spinoff, no one has been announced, but fans are hopeful that some of their favorite cast members from both "International" and "Most Wanted" will pop up permanently or in guest appearances.
Yes, it's possible Soffer could return to "Chicago P.D." in the role he played for 10 seasons. He chose to leave in 2022 to take on new acting challenges, which led him to "FBI: International." Perhaps he'll take a break before his next project, wherever it shall be.
Q:What's the latest on Ted Lasso returning? Is it officially coming back for another season? -- T.W.
