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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 real-world sport, a combination of the elements of rugby, handball, dodgeball, and tag gained popularity very quickly, and just two years after its creation, the first Quidditch World Cup took place with Middlebury capturing first place. There’s been a World Cup competition every year since. There is an official governing body for the sport known as the International Quadball Association, which must sanction all events. The United Kingdom even has a Quiddith professional league.
• The word “quidditch” was added to Oxford dictionaries in April, 2017.
© Text by Tidbits
By Lucie Winborne
• The Climbing Gourami is a fish that can climb out of water, breathe oxygen and even walk for short distances.
• India has 454 living languages and 16 official ones.
• During her 1982 restoration, the Statue of Liberty's head was accidentally installed 2 feet off-center.
• General George S. Patton believed he was reincarnated from either a military leader from Napoleon's army or a Roman legionary, claiming
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of this legend claim you must 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 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
to have seen combat multiple times in previous lives, and also believed that after he died he would return to again lead armies onto the battlefield.
• Only deceased people can appear on American currency.
• When put under a microscope, tears produced by grief, hope or onions were unique in form from each other.
• Viking names included such gems as "desirous of beer," "able to fill a bay with fish by magic," "lust-hostage" and "the man who mixes his drinks."
• North Korea accidentally hit one of its own cities during a 2017 failed missile test.
• Dynamite was originally going to be called “Nobel’s Safety Powder.”
• In 1916, a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution would have put all acts of war to a national vote.
Anyone voting "yes" would have to register as a volunteer for army service.
• Singer James Brown was such a strict bandleader that he had signals arranged with his manager to let him know if a musician made a mistake during concerts. After a performance, band members' errors were deducted from their paychecks.
• Ostriches are the only birds with a bladder.
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
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• In 1872, sitting president Ulysses S. Grant was pulled over and fined $20 for exceeding the Washington speed limit ... on a horse.
• Aristotle believed that plants had souls
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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 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!”
• People knock on wood to avoid negative consequences of speaking a desire aloud, or to extend a chain of good luck. If you say, “My job is going so well,” according to the superstition, you should knock on a piece of wood to ward off any circumstances that would keep that from continuing. The ancient Celts believed that spirits and gods lived in trees, and the knocking was meant to call on them for protection. Others maintained that the sound of knocking on wood was irritating to devils and would drive them away.
• “Good morning, Mr. Magpie. How is your lady wife today?” Don’t forget to say this to that black-and-white bird if you see one all alone. If you don’t greet the magpie as such, you’ll have bad luck all day. The origins of this tradition come from these birds usually being found in pairs, with a solitary magpie denoting sadness. It won’t hurt to add, “One for sorrow, two for joy!” to your salutation, as this will guarantee that the magpie won’t nab any of your shiny possessions.
• In other bird news, it appears that owls are a bad omen and a prelude to dreadful news. And that’s only if you see or hear one. If an owl makes its way into your house, superstition says someone in your
family will die! According to Apache legend, even dreaming of an owl indicated approaching death. Not every culture views owls in a negative fashion. Some believe that owls are the souls of people and should not be harmed. Killing an owl kills the soul of the person the bird carries. Seeing an owl is also viewed as a very good thing, as it symbolizes the beginning of a new phase in life. According to folklore from India, because of owls’ excellent eyesight, eating the eyes of the bird can lead to better eyesight.
• 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
Thought for the Day: "Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum."
1. TELEVISION: The show "Happy Days" is a spinoff of which older sitcom?
2. LITERATURE:
Which author created the character Hercule Poirot?
3. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Where is Barack Obama's presidential library located?
4. GEOGRAPHY: What river forms part of the border between the United States and Mexico?
5. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our solar system has the strongest gravitational field?
6. U.S. STATES: Which four states intersect at the Four Corners monument?
7. SCIENCE: What is anemophily?
8. MOVIES:
How much does an Oscar award trophy weigh?
9. WEATHER: What is a haboob?
10. MEASUREMENTS: How many millimeters are in a meter?
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• On March 10, 1948, the communist-controlled government of Czechoslovakia reported that noncommunist Foreign Minister Jan Masaryk had died after jumping out of a window. The story was met with suspicion in the West, but nothing to the contrary was ever definitively proved.
• On March 11, 1903, accordion-playing musician and entertainer Lawrence Welk, aka the "King of Champagne Music," was born on a farm in rural North Dakota.
• On March 12, 2020, after New York state and city leaders placed Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings of more than 500 people, the Broadway theater district announced it would go dark for an unprecedented 32 days, the longest shutdown of its history. The closure ended up being extended to the end of May
2021, however, costing billions of dollars in tourism losses.
• On March 13, 1865, the Confederacy reluctantly approved the use of Black troops, its last source of fresh manpower, as the main Rebel army faced long odds against much larger Union counterparts. The measure did not help to save the Confederacy, since the several thousand Black men who were enlisted could not balance out the nearly 200,000 Black soldiers fighting for the Union.
• On March 14, 1924, John "Jack" Mack, who co-founded Mack Trucks, Inc., then known as the Mack Brothers Company, with his brothers Augustus and William, was killed when his car collided with a trolley in Pennsylvania.
• On March 15, 2021, Deb Haaland was sworn in as Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Indigenous person to serve as a cabinet secretary in American history. A few years before, she was also one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress.
• On March 16, 1881, 40-yearold Francisco
"Chico" Forster met an untimely end in downtown Los Angeles, courtesy of his former lover, 18-year-old Lastania Abarta. Forster had promised to marry the girl after she performed at a party, but failed to return to their hotel with either a ring or a priest. Abarta tracked him down and tried to force him to church, but when he hopped out of his cab, she fatally shot him. After her attorneys defended her on the grounds of "female hysteria," she was acquitted and left town.
(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.
Q: What ever happened to the character of Daphne who was so central to the first season of "Bridgerton"? Is she ever coming back? -A.W.
A:Phoebe Dynevor, who starred in the first season of "Bridgerton" as Daphne and continued into season two, chose not to sign a new contract once her obligation was fulfilled. Her character was glaringly absent in the third season at the wedding ceremonies of her siblings, but the show chose not to explain the whereabouts of her character.
Season four of the series will focus on Benedict Bridgerton's (Luke Thompson) pursuit of Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) with a storyline that is "a bit of a twist on 'Cinderella,'" according to Netflix's companion website Tudum. The story is from "An Offer from a Gentleman," which is the third novel of author Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" series.
Filming isn't expected to wrap until April 2025. Netflix did release a sneak peek of the upcoming season, but a release date hasn't been announced.
Q: I'm excited that Heidi Klum is returning to "Project Runway," but what about Tim Gunn? I want to see them both together onscreen again. -- Y.B.
A: The fashion design competitive reality series "Project Runway" is returning, but it'll be on a different network -- Freeform. When it premiered on Bravo in 2004, Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum hosted the show together. The two left the series in 2017 to start another show on Amazon Prime Video called "Making the Cut." They said the bigger budget allowed them to have more creative freedom, but it lasted for just three seasons.
This past January, it was announced that Klum was returning to "Project Runway" at its new network home, Freeform. Shockingly, Gunn wasn't asked back. He told People magazine that Klum reached out to him to ask if he was interested in returning. He said, "Of course," but was never given an offer from Freeform. His agent contacted the producers, who said, "We don't want him." Gunn, understandably, is hurt, and his fans are outraged. He doesn't blame Klum, though, saying, "I have her back, and I'm with her in spirit always."
The new "Project Runway" will debut later this year, but the judges and premiere date have yet to be announced.
Q: Is there really going to be a "Legally Blonde" series? Will Reese Witherspoon star in it? -K.S.
A:Yes, there is a "Legally Blonde" project in the development stages at Amazon MGM Studios. Reese Witherspoon's production company Hello Sunshine is behind the project, but it's not known what kind of on-screen presence, if any, she'll have since originating the role of Elle Woods in 2001. The series is actually a prequel, and another actress will play young Elle. Lexi Minetree ("The Murdaugh Murders") recently secured the role.
There were plans for a "Legally Blonde 3" starring Witherspoon, but it's been delayed since 2022. No word on whether it will see the light of day or if they'll just focus on the prequel series.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@ gmail.com, or write me at KFWS, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803.
TIDBITS® EXAMINES SOME SUPERSTITIONS by Kathy Wolfe Is it fate? Is it magic, luck, or coincidence? Fear of the unknown? This week, Tidbits looks at superstitions, those beliefs or practices for which there appears to be no rational basis or logic.
• Most folks know that fourleaf clovers are lucky and are a rare occurrence since most clovers have just three leaves. The ancient Druids and Celts considered those with four a powerful protective charm. Did you know that each leaf represents something? The four leaves are hope, faith, love, and luck.
• The Celts also brought us the idea of a lucky rabbit’s foot. They believed that because rabbits live underground and close to the Earth, they had a special connection to the spirit world which gave them the ability to outsmart enemies. Not all rabbits’ feet are equal. The luckiest is the left hind foot of a rabbit that has been captured in a cemetery under the full moon.
• Speaking of rabbits, there’s another superstition that if the very first thing you say at the start of a new month is “Rabbit, rabbit,” your month will be filled with good luck. Some followers
