1. The word “wizard” (spelt “wisard” in the 15th century) originally simply meant a wise man.
2. In Arthurian legend, the wizard Merlin was said to be the illegitimate son of a Welsh princess.
3. The full name of the Wizard of Oz in Frank Baum’s book was Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs.
4. The Wizard Nebula NGC 7380 is a star-forming region 8,000 light years from Earth which was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787.
5. You will find a total of 11 references to wizards in the King James Bible, all are rather derogatory.
6. Isaiah criticises those who seek “wizards that peep and that mutter” and Deuteronomy calls wizards “an abomination unto the Lord”.
7. “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 20:27).
8. If you have a mirror that reflects letters in the alphabet (so that A becomes Z, B becomes Y and so on), then WIZ is reflected as ARD.
9. The cowardly lion’s costume in The Wizard Of Oz film was made from a real lion skin.
10. It is probably no coincidence that July 31 is also JK Rowling’s birthday. Happy 53rd, madam!