A day on the globeROENES中文
The Earth on 10 April, with the rays of the day’s events
  1. A birthday on the globe

    10 April on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born

    For 10 April, the English Wikipedia lists 55 events and 236 births. 31 of the events stand at their places as rays of light; six more are dashed circles, where the sentence links only to a country or a sea. The taller the ray, the longer ago it happened. The people born that day come further down, as blue points.

    A birthday, yours or someone else’s:

  2. The Earth on 10 April

    The picture on the globe was assembled by NASA from satellite photographs taken in April 2004: the snow, the ice and the green are those of the month.

    On 10 April the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 8.1° north. In London, the day lasts about 13 hours 35 minutes.

    Beyond 82° north the Sun no longer sets; beyond 82° south it no longer rises.

    The line between day and night is tilted on the globe exactly as on this day of the year. On the dark side you can see the lights of towns.

  3. 10 April

    Britain and Ireland#

    Three events from the day’s list are placed here, between 1710 and 1912.

    The globe stops at one of them; the whole list is further down. All three

  4. Britain & Ireland · Big Ben

    1858

    After the original Big Ben, a 14.5 tonnes (32,000 lb) bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current 13.76 tonnes (30,300 lb) bell by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.

    On the map: Big Ben.

    Wikipedia: Big Ben

  5. 10 April

    Europe#

    14 events from the day’s list are placed here, between 238 and 2010.

    The globe stops at one of them; the whole list is further down. All 14

  6. Europe · Huliaipole

    1919

    The Third Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole.

    On the map: Huliaipole.

    Wikipedia: Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents

  7. 10 April

    Asia#

    Nine events from the day’s list are placed here, between 1407 and 2016.

    The globe stops at one of them; the whole list is further down. All nine

  8. Asia · Nanjing

    1407

    Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the Ming dynasty capital at Nanjing and is awarded the title "Great Treasure Prince of Dharma".

    On the map: Nanjing.

    Wikipedia: 5th Karmapa, Deshin Shekpa

  9. 10 April

    North America#

    Six events from the day’s list are placed here, between 1816 and 2023.

    The globe stops at two of them; the whole list is further down. All six

  10. North America · Second Bank of the United States

    1816

    The Federal government of the United States approves the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.

    On the map: Second Bank of the United States.

    Wikipedia: Federal government of the United States

  11. North America · Catholic University of America

    1887

    On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of the Catholic University of America.

    On the map: Catholic University of America.

    Wikipedia: Easter

  12. 10 April

    What the other Wikipedias remember#

    For these years the English list has nothing on this day. The events below come from the same day’s lists on Wikipedia in Spanish and were translated for this page.

  13. From Wikipedia in Spanish · Seville

    1899

    In Seville (Spain), the first Spanish trial of the wireless telegraph takes place.

    On the map: Seville.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.

    The article on Wikipedia in Spanish: Sevilla

  14. 10 April

    Born on 10 April#

    The English Wikipedia lists 236 births for this day. The blue points are the birthplaces of 60 of these people: those written about in the most Wikipedia editions, where Wikidata gives a place of birth.

  15. Born on 10 April

    1952

    Steven Seagal, American actor, producer, and martial artist

    Place of birth: Lansing.

    Wikipedia: Steven Seagal

  16. Born on 10 April

    1583

    Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and jurist (died 1645)

    Place of birth: Delft.

    Wikipedia: Hugo Grotius

  17. Born on 10 April

    1932

    Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (died 2015)

    Place of birth: Alexandria.

    Wikipedia: Omar Sharif

  18. Born on 10 April

    1973

    Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager

    Place of birth: Garça.

    Wikipedia: Roberto Carlos

  19. Born on 10 April

    1929

    Max von Sydow, Swedish-French actor (died 2020)

    Place of birth: Lund.

    Wikipedia: Max von Sydow

  20. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1992

    Daisy Ridley, English actress

    Place of birth: Westminster.

    Wikipedia: Daisy Ridley

  21. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1778

    William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic (died 1830)

    Place of birth: Maidstone.

    Wikipedia: William Hazlitt

  22. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1868

    George Arliss, English actor and playwright (died 1946)

    Place of birth: London.

    Wikipedia: George Arliss

  23. The whole globe of the day

    Drag the globe to turn it. Touch a ray or a point to read what happened there.

Everything Wikipedia lists for 10 April

The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 18 events have no place on the map: the sentence links to no place with coordinates, only to places too wide to mark, or to several countries.

  1. 238

    During the year of Six Emperors, forces of Gordian I and Gordian II are defeated by those of Maximinus Thrax in the battle of Carthage.

    Europe · Year of the Six EmperorsWikipedia: Year of the Six Emperors
  2. 428

    Nestorius becomes the Patriarch of Constantinople.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Nestorius
  3. 837

    Halley's Comet makes its closest approach to Earth at a distance equal to 0.0342 AU (5.1 million kilometres/3.2 million miles).

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Halley's Comet
  4. 847

    Election of Pope Leo IV following the death of Pope Sergius II.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Pope Leo IV
  5. 1407

    Deshin Shekpa, 5th Karmapa Lama visits the Ming dynasty capital at Nanjing and is awarded the title "Great Treasure Prince of Dharma".

    Asia · NanjingWikipedia: 5th Karmapa, Deshin Shekpa
  6. 1500

    Ludovico Sforza is captured by Swiss troops at Novara and is handed over to the French.

    Europe · NovaraWikipedia: Ludovico Sforza
  7. 1545

    The settlement of Villa Imperial de Carlos V (now the city of Potosí) in Bolivia is founded after the discovery of huge silver deposits in the area.

    Latin America · PotosíWikipedia: Potosí
  8. 1606

    The Virginia Company of London is established by royal charter by James I of England with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America.

  9. 1710

    The Statute of Anne, the first law regulating copyright, comes into force in Great Britain.

    Britain & Ireland · Kingdom of Great BritainWikipedia: Statute of Anne
  10. 1717

    Robert Walpole resigns from the British government, commencing the Whig Split which lasts until 1720.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Robert Walpole
  11. 1724

    Bach leads the first performance of his cantata Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, BWV 66, his first cantata composed for Easter in Leipzig.

  12. 1741

    War of the Austrian Succession: Prussia gains control of Silesia at the Battle of Mollwitz.

    Europe · Battle of MollwitzWikipedia: Battle of Mollwitz
  13. 1796

    War of the First Coalition: A surprise Austrian attack at the Battle of Voltri marks the beginning of the Italian Campaign, the decisive campaign under Napoleon Bonaparte that will end the war a year later.

    Europe · Battle of VoltriWikipedia: Battle of Voltri
  14. 1809

    Napoleonic Wars: The War of the Fifth Coalition begins when forces of the Austrian Empire invade Bavaria.

  15. 1814

    Allied forces under the Duke of Wellington attack Toulouse held by Marshall Soult, driving out the French after fierce fighting.

    Europe · Battle of ToulouseWikipedia: Battle of Toulouse
  16. 1815

    The Mount Tambora volcano begins a three-month-long eruption, lasting until July 15. The eruption ultimately kills 71,000 people and affects Earth's climate for the next two years.

    Asia · Mount TamboraWikipedia: Mount Tambora
  17. 1816

    The Federal government of the United States approves the creation of the Second Bank of the United States.

    North America · Second Bank of the United StatesWikipedia: Federal government of the United States
  18. 1821

    Greek War of Independence: the island of Psara joins the Greek struggle for independence.

    Europe · PsaraWikipedia: Greek War of Independence
  19. 1821

    Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is hanged by the Ottoman government from the main gate of the Patriarchate and his body is thrown into the Bosphorus.

    Asia · Ottoman EmpireWikipedia: Gregory V of Constantinople
  20. 1826

    The 10,500 inhabitants of the Greek town of Missolonghi begin leaving the town after a year's siege by Turkish forces. Very few of them survive.

    Europe · MissolonghiWikipedia: Third siege of Missolonghi
  21. 1858

    After the original Big Ben, a 14.5 tonnes (32,000 lb) bell for the Palace of Westminster, had cracked during testing, it is recast into the current 13.76 tonnes (30,300 lb) bell by Whitechapel Bell Foundry.

    Britain & Ireland · Big BenWikipedia: Big Ben
  22. 1864

    Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg is proclaimed emperor of Mexico during the French intervention in Mexico.

  23. 1865

    American Civil War: A day after his surrender to Union forces, Confederate General Robert E. Lee addresses his troops for the last time.

    North America · United StatesWikipedia: American Civil War
  24. 1866

    The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) is founded in New York City by Henry Bergh.

  25. 1868

    At Arogee in Abyssinia, British and Indian forces defeat an army of Emperor Tewodros II. While 700 Ethiopians are killed and many more injured, only two British/Indian troops die.

  26. 1872

    The first Arbor Day is celebrated in Nebraska.

    North America · NebraskaWikipedia: Arbor Day
  27. 1887

    On Easter Sunday, Pope Leo XIII authorizes the establishment of the Catholic University of America.

    North America · Catholic University of AmericaWikipedia: Easter
  28. 1896

    Summer Olympics: The Olympic marathon is run ending with the victory of Greek athlete Spyridon Louis.

  29. 1900

    British suffer a sharp defeat by the Boers south of Brandfort. Six hundred British troops are killed and wounded and 800 taken prisoner.

    Africa · BrandfortWikipedia: Brandfort
  30. 1912

    RMS Titanic sets sail from Southampton, UK, on her maiden and only voyage.

    Britain & Ireland · SouthamptonWikipedia: Titanic
  31. 1919

    Mexican Revolution leader Emiliano Zapata is ambushed and shot dead by government forces in Morelos.

    Latin America · MorelosWikipedia: Mexican Revolution
  32. 1919

    The Third Regional Congress of Peasants, Workers and Insurgents is held by the Makhnovshchina at Huliaipole.

  33. 1925

    The Great Gatsby, a novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published by Scribner's.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: The Great Gatsby
  34. 1925

    The Russian city of Tsaritsyn is renamed Stalingrad to honor the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Soviet Communist Party General Secretary, who had guided the defense of Tsaritsyn during the Russian Civil War in 1920.

    Europe · VolgogradWikipedia: Volgograd
  35. 1941

    World War II: The Axis powers establish the Independent State of Croatia.

    Europe · Independent State of CroatiaWikipedia: World War II
  36. 1944

    Rudolf Vrba and Alfréd Wetzler escape from Birkenau death camp.

    Europe · Auschwitz concentration campWikipedia: Rudolf Vrba
  37. 1963

    One hundred twenty-nine American sailors die when the submarine USS Thresher sinks at sea.

    Oceans · USS ThresherWikipedia: Submarine
  38. 1968

    The TEV Wahine, a New Zealand ferry, sinks in Wellington harbour due to a fierce storm – the strongest winds ever in Wellington. Out of the 734 people on board, fifty-three died.

    Oceania · TEV WahineWikipedia: TEV Wahine
  39. 1970

    Paul McCartney announces that he is leaving The Beatles for personal and professional reasons.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Paul McCartney
  40. 1972

    Tombs containing bamboo slips, among them Sun Tzu's Art of War and Sun Bin's lost military treatise, are discovered by construction workers in Shandong.

    Asia · Yinqueshan Han Tombs Bamboo Slips MuseumWikipedia: Yinqueshan Han Tombs Bamboo Slips Museum
  41. 1972

    Vietnam War: For the first time since November 1967, American B-52 bombers reportedly begin bombing North Vietnam.

    Asia · North VietnamWikipedia: Vietnam War
  42. 1973

    Invicta International Airlines Flight 435 crashes in a snowstorm on approach to Basel, Switzerland, killing 108 people.

    Europe · Invicta International Airlines Flight 435Wikipedia: Invicta International Airlines Flight 435
  43. 1979

    Red River Valley tornado outbreak: A tornado lands in Wichita Falls, Texas, killing 42 people.

    North America · Wichita Falls, TexasWikipedia: 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak
  44. 1981

    Imprisoned IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands is elected to Westminster as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He died twenty-six days later.

  45. 1988

    The Ojhri Camp explosion kills or injures more than 1,000 people in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.

    Asia · Ojhri Camp disasterWikipedia: Ojhri Camp disaster
  46. 1991

    A rare tropical storm develops in the South Atlantic Ocean near Angola, the first to be documented by satellites.

  47. 1991

    Italian ferry MS Moby Prince collides with an oil tanker in dense fog off Livorno, Italy, killing 140.

    Europe · Moby Prince disasterWikipedia: Moby Prince disaster
  48. 1992

    First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Dozens of Armenian civilians were massacred in the village of Maraga by Azerbaijani forces.

    Asia · Maraga massacreWikipedia: Maraga massacre
  49. 1998

    The Good Friday Agreement is signed in Northern Ireland.

  50. 2009

    President of Fiji Ratu Josefa Iloilo announces the abrogation of the constitution and assumes all governance in the country, creating a constitutional crisis.

  51. 2010

    Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczyński, his wife, and dozens of other senior officials and dignitaries.

    Europe · Smolensk air disasterWikipedia: Smolensk air disaster
  52. 2016

    An earthquake of 6.6 magnitude strikes 39 km west-southwest of Ashkasham, impacting India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Srinagar and Pakistan.

    Asia · 2016 Afghanistan earthquakeWikipedia: 2016 Afghanistan earthquake
  53. 2016

    The Paravur temple accident, in which a devastating fire caused by the explosion of firecrackers stored for Vishu kills more than one hundred people out of the thousands gathered for the seventh day of Bhadrakali worship.

    Asia · Puttingal temple fireWikipedia: Puttingal temple fire
  54. 2019

    Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope project released the first image of the black hole at the center of the galaxy M87.

  55. 2023

    A mass shooting occurs at the Old National Bank in Louisville, Kentucky, that leaves five victims dead and eight wounded.

    North America · 2023 Louisville bank shootingWikipedia: 2023 Louisville bank shooting

What the other Wikipedias remember

For these years the English list has nothing on this day. The events below come from the same day’s lists on Wikipedia in Spanish and were translated for this page.

  1. 1899

    In Seville (Spain), the first Spanish trial of the wireless telegraph takes place.

    Europe · SevilleTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in SpanishWikipedia: Sevilla

Who was born on 10 April

In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 236 are shown.

  1. 1952

    Steven Seagal, American actor, producer, and martial artist

    LansingWikipedia: Steven Seagal
  2. 1583

    Hugo Grotius, Dutch philosopher and jurist (died 1645)

    DelftWikipedia: Hugo Grotius
  3. 1932

    Omar Sharif, Egyptian actor and screenwriter (died 2015)

    AlexandriaWikipedia: Omar Sharif
  4. 1973

    Roberto Carlos, Brazilian footballer and manager

    GarçaWikipedia: Roberto Carlos
  5. 1847

    Joseph Pulitzer, Hungarian-American journalist, publisher, and politician, founded Pulitzer, Inc. (died 1911)

    MakóWikipedia: Joseph Pulitzer
  6. 401

    Theodosius II, Roman emperor (died 450)

    ConstantinopleWikipedia: Theodosius II
  7. 1929

    Max von Sydow, Swedish-French actor (died 2020)

    LundWikipedia: Max von Sydow
  8. 1512

    James V, king of Scotland (died 1542)

    Linlithgow PalaceWikipedia: James V
  9. 1755

    Samuel Hahnemann, German-French medical doctor and academic (died 1843)

    MeissenWikipedia: Samuel Hahnemann
  10. 1917

    Robert Burns Woodward, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1979)

  11. 1986

    Vincent Kompany, Belgian footballer and manager

    UccleWikipedia: Vincent Kompany
  12. 1887

    Bernardo Houssay, Argentinian physiologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1971)

    Buenos AiresWikipedia: Bernardo Houssay
  13. 1992

    Daisy Ridley, English actress

    WestminsterWikipedia: Daisy Ridley
  14. 1937

    Bella Akhmadulina, Soviet and Russian poet, short story writer, and translator (died 2010)

    MoscowWikipedia: Bella Akhmadulina
  15. 1984

    Mandy Moore, American singer-songwriter and actress

    NashuaWikipedia: Mandy Moore
  16. 1927

    Marshall Warren Nirenberg, American biochemist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2010)

    BrooklynWikipedia: Marshall Warren Nirenberg
  17. 1986

    Fernando Gago, Argentine footballer and manager

    CiudadelaWikipedia: Fernando Gago
  18. 1996

    Andreas Christensen, Danish footballer

    LillerødWikipedia: Andreas Christensen
  19. 1778

    William Hazlitt, English essayist and critic (died 1830)

    MaidstoneWikipedia: William Hazlitt
  20. 1988

    Haley Joel Osment, American actor

    Los AngelesWikipedia: Haley Joel Osment
  21. 1868

    George Arliss, English actor and playwright (died 1946)

    LondonWikipedia: George Arliss
  22. 1929

    Mike Hawthorn, English racing driver (died 1959)

    MexboroughWikipedia: Mike Hawthorn
  23. 1963

    Doris Leuthard, Swiss lawyer and politician, 162nd President of the Swiss Confederation

    MerenschwandWikipedia: Doris Leuthard
  24. 1980

    Charlie Hunnam, English actor

    Newcastle upon TyneWikipedia: Charlie Hunnam
  25. 1018

    Nizam al-Mulk, Persian scholar and vizier (died 1092)

    TusWikipedia: Nizam al-Mulk
  26. 1769

    Jean Lannes, French marshal (died 1809)

    LectoureWikipedia: Jean Lannes
  27. 1873

    Kyösti Kallio, Finnish farmer, banker, and politician, 4th President of Finland (died 1940)

    NivalaWikipedia: Kyösti Kallio
  28. 1827

    Lew Wallace, American general, lawyer, author and politician, 11th Governor of New Mexico Territory (died 1905)

    BrookvilleWikipedia: Lew Wallace
  29. 1979

    Rachel Corrie, American activist (died 2003)

    OlympiaWikipedia: Rachel Corrie
  30. 1979

    Sophie Ellis-Bextor, English singer-songwriter

    HounslowWikipedia: Sophie Ellis-Bextor
  31. 1983

    Jamie Chung, American actress

    San FranciscoWikipedia: Jamie Chung
  32. 1829

    William Booth, English minister, founded The Salvation Army (died 1912)

    NottinghamWikipedia: William Booth
  33. 1957

    Aliko Dangote, Nigerian businessman, founded Dangote Group

    KanoWikipedia: Aliko Dangote
  34. 1973

    Guillaume Canet, French actor and director

    Boulogne-BillancourtWikipedia: Guillaume Canet
  35. 1990

    Alex Pettyfer, English actor

    StevenageWikipedia: Alex Pettyfer
  36. 1794

    Matthew C. Perry, English-Scottish American commander (died 1858)

    NewportWikipedia: Matthew C. Perry
  37. 1910

    Helenio Herrera, Argentinian footballer and manager (died 1997)

    Buenos AiresWikipedia: Helenio Herrera
  38. 1939

    Claudio Magris, Italian scholar, author, and translator

    TriesteWikipedia: Claudio Magris
  39. 1985

    Barkhad Abdi, Somali-American actor and director

    MogadishuWikipedia: Barkhad Abdi
  40. 1968

    Orlando Jones, American actor, producer, and screenwriter

    ToulminvilleWikipedia: Orlando Jones
  41. 1954

    Peter MacNicol, American actor

    DallasWikipedia: Peter MacNicol
  42. 1864

    Eugen d'Albert, Scottish-German pianist and composer (died 1932)

    GlasgowWikipedia: Eugen d'Albert
  43. 1880

    Frances Perkins, American sociologist, academic, and politician, United States Secretary of Labor (died 1965)

  44. 1932

    Delphine Seyrig, Swiss/Alsatian French actress (died 1990)

    BeirutWikipedia: Delphine Seyrig
  45. 1987

    Hayley Westenra, New Zealand soprano

    Christchurch Women's HospitalWikipedia: Hayley Westenra
  46. 1959

    Babyface, American singer-songwriter and producer

    IndianapolisWikipedia: Babyface
  47. 1990

    Ben Amos, English footballer

    MacclesfieldWikipedia: Ben Amos
  48. 1894

    Ben Nicholson, British painter (died 1982)

    DenhamWikipedia: Ben Nicholson
  49. 1913

    Stefan Heym, German-American soldier and author (died 2001)

    ChemnitzWikipedia: Stefan Heym
  50. 1942

    Ian Callaghan, English footballer

    ToxtethWikipedia: Ian Callaghan
  51. 1981

    Michael Pitt, American actor, model and musician

    West OrangeWikipedia: Michael Pitt
  52. 1651

    Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus, German mathematician, physicist and medical doctor (died 1708)

    Sławnikowice, Lower SilesiaWikipedia: Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus
  53. 1877

    Alfred Kubin, Austrian author and illustrator (died 1959)

    LitoměřiceWikipedia: Alfred Kubin
  54. 1984

    Damien Perquis, French-Polish footballer

    TroyesWikipedia: Damien Perquis
  55. 1941

    Paul Theroux, American novelist, short story writer, and travel writer

    MedfordWikipedia: Paul Theroux
  56. 1984

    Gonzalo Javier Rodríguez, Argentinian footballer

    Buenos AiresWikipedia: Gonzalo Rodríguez
  57. 1921

    Chuck Connors, American baseball player and actor (died 1992)

    BrooklynWikipedia: Chuck Connors
  58. 1930

    Dolores Huerta, American activist, co-founded the United Farm Workers

    DawsonWikipedia: Dolores Huerta
  59. 1915

    Harry Morgan, American actor and director (died 2011)

    DetroitWikipedia: Harry Morgan
  60. 1929

    Liz Sheridan, American actress (died 2022)

    RyeWikipedia: Liz Sheridan

What is celebrated on 10 April

  • Christian feast day: Blessed Anthony Neyrot
  • Christian feast day: Fulbert of Chartres
  • Christian feast day: James, Azadanus and Abdicius
  • Christian feast day: Magdalene of Canossa
  • Christian feast day: Mikael Agricola (Lutheran)
  • Christian feast day: Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (Episcopal Church)
  • Christian feast day: William of Ockham (Anglicanism)
  • Christian feast day: William Law (Anglicanism)
  • Christian feast day: April 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Day of the Builder (Azerbaijan)
  • Feast of the Third Day of the Writing of the Book of the Law (Thelema)
  • Siblings Day (International observance)

A greeting link for someone

Type a name and, if you like, the year of birth. The link opens with a greeting, and beside each event it says how old the person turned that day, or how many years before their birth it happened.

The name and the year go only into the link you send.

Download the day’s picture

All 366 days

How the globe is made

Where the events come from

Each edition of this page uses the day’s list from Wikipedia in its own language: Romanian, English, Spanish, Chinese. The lists are written by volunteers and differ from one edition to the next; the text of each event is Wikipedia’s, with a link to the article. A row that appears twice in a list is shown once. The lists have not been checked event by event: they are Wikipedia’s, mistakes included.

For events before 1582, and for countries that moved to the Gregorian calendar later (Britain in 1752, Russia in 1918), the same day may be counted Old Style in one list and New Style in another.

The chapter “What the other Wikipedias remember” adds up to five events a day from the lists of the other three editions, only for years in which the English list has nothing on that day. They were translated for this page, passed the same filters as the tour, and are not counted among the events of the English list.

How an event gets onto the map

The place comes from Wikidata. If the sentence links to the article about the event itself (a battle, an opening, an earthquake), dated to the same year, the ray stands on its coordinates or on those of its location. Otherwise it stands on the first place the sentence links to: a town, a building, a mountain, an island. This second step can be wrong: sometimes the sentence only mentions the place. That is why the page says, under each event, which place the ray stands on.

When the sentence links to a single state or province, or to a single sea, lake or desert larger than 5,000 km², the globe shows a dashed circle, not a ray. The circle has the area Wikidata gives, with its radius kept between 1.2° and 16°, or a radius of 4.5° when Wikidata gives no area; it says only that the sentence links to that place. Organisations, ships, spacecraft, museum objects, rivers, mountain ranges, languages and continents are never used as places. When a sentence names several states and no exact place, the event stays in the list only.

What the height means

The height of a ray shows how many years have passed, on a logarithmic scale: 10 years, 100 years and 1,000 years are equal steps apart; anything older than about 2,600 years has the tallest ray. The colour runs from pale yellow for recent years to violet for antiquity.

Where the tour stops

In each region the tour stops at up to three events (five in Britain and Ireland), chosen mainly by three things: whether Wikipedia’s editors put the event in the “On this day” box of their main page (the English, Spanish and Chinese editions), how many Wikipedia editions have an article about it, and how many of the four lists include it. Events whose sentence or article is about a war, an attack, a crime or a disaster are left out of the tour; they stay in the whole list, in Wikipedia’s wording. The filter is a list of words and a list of Wikidata types, so it can miss some.

The tour of births names the people with articles in the most editions and leaves aside those whom the list or Wikidata describes as rulers, politicians, commanders, leaders of movements or criminals; they stay in the list.

The Earth and the Sun

The daytime images are NASA’s Blue Marble Next Generation mosaics, one for each month of 2004; the night side is Black Marble 2016. The tilt of the line between day and night is computed for the day; the hour is chosen so that the place being read is in daylight. The latitude where the Sun stands overhead is the average of the four years of the leap cycle; in a given year it can differ by up to 0.4°.

The day you were born

The number ones come from the weekly lists on Wikipedia: Billboard for the United States (from 1940; the Hot 100 from August 1958), the UK Singles Chart (from November 1952), Los 40 Principales for Spain (from July 1966) and, for Romania, the Romanian Top 100 and Airplay 100 (2001–2021, with missing weeks). The page shows the chart of the week in which the day of birth falls, with its date; Billboard and the UK chart are dated at the end of their week. For Romania before 2001 and for China these sources have no weekly chart.

The films are those that reached cinemas in the United States up to ten days before or three days after that day (some of them in a few cinemas at first), from the English Wikipedia’s yearly lists (from 1968), in order of how many editions have an article about them. The events “in those days” are the ones on the neighbouring days’ lists that carry the year of birth, passed through the same filter as the tour.

The day of birth, year included

The Moon, the star sign and the constellation are worked out by the page itself, for noon Universal Time on the day. The lit part of the Moon is rounded and can differ by a few per cent from that at the hour of birth. The sign follows the usual zodiac of twelve equal parts starting at the March equinox; the constellation is the one the Sun actually stood in front of, by the borders set by the International Astronomical Union, and within a day of a border the page does not name it. When the Sun changes sign while it is that day anywhere on Earth, the page gives the moment of crossing, rounded to ten minutes and accurate to within about a quarter of an hour, and the clock time in a few cities, with the time zone and summer time of that year.

The year in the Chinese calendar is the one your device’s own calendar gives for the date, checked against the Hong Kong Observatory’s tables. “All your birthdays” uses the same sources as the rest of the chapter for the same day in every year since the birth: the temperature, well-known launches that took place on that very day, matches of the teams the edition follows, snow deeper than 10 cm and strong geomagnetic storms. The three things at the top and the four on the picture are chosen in a fixed order (the song, the animal, a full Moon, a well-known launch before an ordinary earthquake); on the picture you can change them.

When the link carries a year of birth, the page adds a few things about that exact day. The weather is the Met Office’s Central England temperature record and the readings from New York’s Central Park; the “usual high” is the average of the daily highs of 1961–1990 for that date, with two days either side. The carbon dioxide figure is the monthly mean at the Mauna Loa observatory, where measurements begin in March 1958.

The earthquake is the one with the largest magnitude in the USGS catalogue for that day, counted in Universal Time. Before the 1960s the catalogue has gaps even above magnitude 5.5, so in the older years many days have no earthquake. The page gives only the magnitude and the place: the country the epicentre falls in or, when the epicentre is at sea within 300 km of a coast, the nearest country; farther out, only the ocean.

The launches are those that reached orbit or left for the Moon and the planets, from Jonathan McDowell’s GCAT catalogue. If nothing left that day, the page shows the nearest launch within three days before or after, and says how many days away it was. The geomagnetic storm appears only when the Kp index reached at least 5 in one of the day’s eight three-hour intervals.

The animal comes from GBIF: an observation made by a person (the animal seen or heard, or its tracks), dated to that exact day, with coordinates and a CC0 or CC BY licence. Only a few hundred well-known species are searched (mammals, birds, turtles, butterflies); of those noted that day, mammals and species with articles in many Wikipedia editions come first; birds noted almost every day, and species used recently, wait their turn. Observations dated 1 January are left out, because records without a day are often filed there. An observation shows that the animal was recorded there, not how many animals there were.

The matches are those between national teams. Only matches of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia are shown, along with those at the big final tournaments. The picture to send is drawn in the page from the day’s globe and the facts above, and stays on your device until you send it.

Sources

More pages about birthdays