Harry Potter turns 20

 Believe it or not, the world almost missed out on Harry Potter.

Author J.K. Rowling has told the story of how she received "loads" of rejections before "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (known in the U.S. as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone") was finally published on June 26, 1997, the CNN reports.

Rowling once told fans that she couldn't even get books published under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, which she used for some thrillers she wrote.

With the popularity of screen time in its many forms, some experts suggested children had lost the desire to read.

Then Rowling waved her magic wand.

Children were suddenly descending to book stores en masse, libraries had waiting lists for Potter books and kids begged to stay up late to finish just one more chapter.

In 2005, The Guardian wrote about a survey that found children and teachers credited Rowling's books with boosting literacy.

According to the report, 84% of [teachers] said "that the boy wizard has had a positive impact on children's reading abilities and 73% admit that they have been surprised by some of the children that have managed to read Potter."