A birthday on the globe
13 May on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born
For 13 May, the English Wikipedia lists 63 events and 155 births. 41 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:
Turn it into a greetingScroll: the globe turns to each place
The day you were born, on the globe.
Three things from your day
Scroll: your day first, then 13 May through the years
The Earth on 13 May
The picture on the globe was assembled by NASA from satellite photographs taken in May 2004: the snow, the ice and the green are those of the month.
On 13 May the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 18.5° north. In London, the day lasts about 15 hours 30 minutes.
Beyond 72° north the Sun no longer sets; beyond 72° 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.
Britain & Ireland · 1950 British Grand Prix
1950
The inaugural Formula One World Championship race takes place at Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural champion that year.
On the map: the coordinates Wikidata gives for the article “1950 British Grand Prix”.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Europe · Leipzig
1725
Johann Sebastian Bach first performed the church cantata Sie werden euch in den Bann tun, BWV 183 in Leipzig, Germany.
On the map: Leipzig.
Europe · Milan
1909
The first edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, begins in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner.
On the map: Milan.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Europe · Eurovision Song Contest 2017
2017
Eurovision Song Contest: Portugal won the contest for the first time, with the song "Amar pelos dois," performed by Salvador Sobral.
On the map: the coordinates Wikidata gives for the article “Eurovision Song Contest 2017”.
Asia · Karachi
1861
Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
On the map: Karachi.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Asia · Mount Everest
1995
Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
On the map: Mount Everest.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish and Romanian.
Oceania · Windsor, New South Wales
1861
The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
On the map: Windsor, New South Wales.
Latin America · National University of San Marcos
1951
The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
On the map: National University of San Marcos.
North America · Falun Gong
1992
Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China.
On the map: Falun Gong.
13 May
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 Chinese and Spanish and were translated for this page.
From Wikipedia in Chinese · Florence
1497
Pope Alexander VI declares Girolamo Savonarola, the secular leader of Florence, a heretic and imposes excommunication on him.
On the map: Florence.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Chinese.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Greenwich
1515
In Greenwich (England), Queen Mary Tudor and the aristocrat Charles Brandon marry.
On the map: Greenwich.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
13 May
Born on 13 May#
The English Wikipedia lists 155 births for this day. The blue points are the birthplaces of 59 of these people: those written about in the most Wikipedia editions, where Wikidata gives a place of birth.
Born on 13 May
1840
Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1897)
Place of birth: Nîmes.
Born on 13 May
1950
Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
Place of birth: Saginaw.
Born on 13 May
1857
Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932)
Place of birth: Almora.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1907
Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (died 1989)
Place of birth: London.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1977
Samantha Morton, English actress and director
Place of birth: Nottingham.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1842
Arthur Sullivan, English composer (died 1900)
Place of birth: London.
13 May
Number one in the charts that week
At the cinema
An animal recorded that day
The record can be seen in GBIF, which brings together wildlife records from around the world.
All your birthdays
The weather that day
Data: Met Office Hadley Centre (HadCET); NOAA (GHCN-Daily, Mauna Loa).
Above the Earth
Sources: Jonathan McDowell, GCAT (launches); GFZ Potsdam (Kp index). Days are counted in Universal Time.
Football that day
International matches played that day:
Source: the “International football results” dataset kept by Mart Jürisoo (CC0).
Also that day
The earthquake’s page at the USGS
Source: the USGS catalogue. The day is counted in Universal Time (UTC).
In those days
Make a link for someone
Type the name, pick the day and the year of birth. The link opens straight on their day, with their name in the greeting.
The link carries the name, date and place typed here; anyone who gets it can see them.
Put another birthday beside it
Your mother’s, your child’s, a friend’s: the two days appear side by side.
Below: 13 May through the years.
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 13 May
The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 16 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.
- 535
Election of pope Agapetus I following the death of pope John II earlier that month.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Pope Agapetus I - 1110
Baldwin I of Jerusalem captures the city of Beirut from the Fatimid Caliphate with the help of a Genoese fleet.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Siege of Beirut - 1344
A Latin Christian fleet defeats a Turkish fleet in the battle of Pallene during the Smyrniote crusades.
Europe · Kassandra MunicipalityWikipedia: Battle of Pallene - 1373
Julian of Norwich has visions of Jesus while suffering from a life-threatening illness, visions which are later described and interpreted in her book Revelations of Divine Love.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Julian of Norwich - 1501
Amerigo Vespucci, this time under Portuguese flag, sets sail for western lands.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Amerigo Vespucci - 1568
Mary, Queen of Scots, is defeated at the Battle of Langside, part of the civil war between Queen Mary and the supporters of her son, James VI.
Britain & Ireland · Battle of LangsideWikipedia: Battle of Langside - 1612
Sword duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro on the shores of Ganryū Island. Kojiro dies at the end.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Miyamoto Musashi - 1619
Dutch statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt is executed in The Hague after being convicted of treason.
Europe · The HagueWikipedia: Johan van Oldenbarnevelt - 1654
A Venetian fleet under Admiral Cort Adeler breaks through a line of galleys and defeats the Turkish navy.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Cort Adeler - 1725
Johann Sebastian Bach first performed the church cantata Sie werden euch in den Bann tun, BWV 183 in Leipzig, Germany.
Europe · LeipzigWikipedia: Johann Sebastian Bach - 1779
War of the Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria acquires the Innviertel.
Europe · CieszynWikipedia: War of the Bavarian Succession - 1780
The Cumberland Compact is signed by leaders of the settlers in the Cumberland River area of what would become the U.S. state of Tennessee, providing for democratic government and a formal system of justice.
North America · TennesseeWikipedia: Cumberland Compact - 1791
The British under Charles Cornwallis defeat a Mysorean army under Tipu Sultan in the battle of Arakere.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Battle of Arakere - 1804
Forces sent by Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli to retake Derna from the Americans attack the city.
Africa · Battle of DernaWikipedia: Battle of Derna - 1830
Ecuador gains its independence from Gran Colombia.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Ecuador - 1846
Mexican–American War: The United States declares war on the Federal Republic of Mexico following a dispute over the American annexation of the Republic of Texas and a Mexican military incursion.
North America · Thornton AffairWikipedia: Mexican–American War - 1858
Montenegrin forces under Grand Duke Mirko Petrović-Njegoš defeat an Ottoman army under Hussein Pasha in the battle of Grahovac. The battle is a significant step towards formal independence and quickly becomes a part of national folklore.
Europe · Battle of GrahovacWikipedia: Battle of Grahovac - 1861
American Civil War: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom issues a "proclamation of neutrality" which recognizes the Confederacy as having belligerent rights.
no place on the mapWikipedia: American Civil War - 1861
Pakistan's (then a part of British India) first railway line opens, from Karachi to Kotri.
Asia · KarachiWikipedia: Pakistan Railways - 1861
The Great Comet of 1861 is discovered by John Tebbutt of Windsor, New South Wales, Australia.
Oceania · Windsor, New South WalesWikipedia: C/1861 J1 - 1862
Southern slave Robert Smalls steals the steamboat Planter, spirits it through Confederate lines and hands it to the United States Navy, who quickly commission it as the gunboat USS Planter and appoint Smalls as captain, thus making him the first black man to command a United States ship.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Robert Smalls - 1888
With the passage of the Lei Áurea ("Golden Law"), the Empire of Brazil abolishes slavery.
Latin America · Empire of BrazilWikipedia: Lei Áurea - 1909
The first edition of the Giro d'Italia, a long-distance multiple-stage bicycle race, begins in Milan; the Italian cyclist Luigi Ganna was the eventual winner.
Europe · MilanWikipedia: 1909 Giro d'Italia - 1912
The Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of the Royal Air Force, is established in the United Kingdom.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Royal Flying Corps - 1913
The Russian inventor Igor Sikorsky flew the self-designed Russky Vityaz, the world's first four-engine fixed-wing aircraft.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Igor Sikorsky - 1917
Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
Europe · Fátima, PortugalWikipedia: Our Lady of Fátima - 1940
World War II: Germany's conquest of France begins, as the German army crosses the Meuse. Winston Churchill makes his "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" speech to the House of Commons.
Britain & Ireland · House of CommonsWikipedia: Blood, toil, tears and sweat - 1943
World War II: Operations Vulcan and Strike force the surrender of the last Axis troops in Tunisia.
Africa · Operation VulcanWikipedia: Operation Vulcan - 1945
World War II: Yevgeny Khaldei's photograph Raising a Flag over the Reichstag is published in Ogonyok magazine.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Yevgeny Khaldei - 1948
Arab–Israeli War: The Kfar Etzion massacre occurs, a day prior to the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
Asia · Kfar Etzion massacreWikipedia: 1948 Arab–Israeli War - 1949
Aeroflot Flight 17 crashes on approach to Severny Airport in Novosibirsk, killing 25.
Asia · Severny AirportWikipedia: Severny Airport - 1950
The inaugural Formula One World Championship race takes place at Silverstone Circuit. The race was won by Giuseppe Farina, who would go on to become the inaugural champion that year.
Britain & Ireland · 1950 British Grand PrixWikipedia: 1950 British Grand Prix - 1951
The 400th anniversary of the founding of the National University of San Marcos is commemorated by the opening of the first large-capacity stadium in Peru.
Latin America · National University of San MarcosWikipedia: National University of San Marcos - 1952
The Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, holds its first sitting.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Rajya Sabha - 1954
The anti-National Service Riots, by Chinese middle school students in Singapore, take place.
Asia · SingaporeWikipedia: 1954 National Service riots - 1958
Ben Carlin becomes the first (and only) person to circumnavigate the world by amphibious vehicle, having travelled over 17,000 kilometres (11,000 mi) by sea and 62,000 kilometres (39,000 mi) by land during a ten-year journey.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Ben Carlin - 1958
During a visit to Caracas, Venezuela, the US Vice President Richard Nixon's car is attacked by anti-American demonstrators.
Latin America · Attack on Richard Nixon's motorcadeWikipedia: Attack on Richard Nixon's motorcade - 1958
May 1958 crisis: A group of French military officers lead a coup in Algiers demanding that a government of national unity be formed with Charles de Gaulle at its head in order to defend French control of Algeria.
Africa · AlgiersWikipedia: May 1958 crisis in France - 1960
Hundreds of University of California, Berkeley students congregate for the first day of protest against a visit by the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
North America · University of California, BerkeleyWikipedia: University of California, Berkeley - 1967
Dr. Zakir Husain becomes the third President of India. He is the first Muslim President of the Indian Union. He holds this position until August 24, 1969.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Zakir Husain - 1969
In the aftermath of the 1969 Malaysian general election, Sino-Malay sectarian violence erupts in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Asia · 13 May incidentWikipedia: 1969 Malaysian general election - 1972
A fire occurs in the Sennichi Department Store in Osaka, Japan. Blocked exits and non-functional elevators result in 118 fatalities (many victims leaping to their deaths).
Asia · Sennichi Department Store Building fireWikipedia: Sennichi Department Store Building fire - 1972
The Troubles: A car bombing outside a crowded pub in Belfast sparks a two-day gun battle involving the Provisional IRA, Ulster Volunteer Force and British Army. Seven people are killed and over 66 injured.
Britain & Ireland · BelfastWikipedia: The Troubles - 1980
An F3 tornado hits Kalamazoo County, Michigan. President Jimmy Carter declares it a federal disaster area.
North America · Kalamazoo County, MichiganWikipedia: 1980 Kalamazoo tornado - 1981
Mehmet Ali Ağca attempts to assassinate Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome. The Pope is rushed to the Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic to undergo emergency surgery and survives.
Europe · Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul IIWikipedia: Attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II - 1985
Police bomb MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia, killing six adults and five children, and destroying the homes of 250 city residents.
North America · 1985 MOVE bombingWikipedia: 1985 MOVE bombing - 1989
Large groups of students occupy Tiananmen Square and begin a hunger strike.
Asia · 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacreWikipedia: 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre - 1990
The Dinamo–Red Star riot takes place at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia, between the Bad Blue Boys (fans of Dinamo Zagreb) and the Delije (fans of Red Star Belgrade).
Europe · Dinamo–Red Star riotWikipedia: Dinamo–Red Star riot - 1992
Li Hongzhi gives the first public lecture on Falun Gong in Changchun, People's Republic of China.
North America · Falun GongWikipedia: Li Hongzhi - 1995
Alison Hargreaves, a 33-year-old British mother, becomes the first woman to ascend Everest without oxygen or the help of sherpas.
Asia · Mount EverestWikipedia: Mount Everest - 1996
Severe thunderstorms and a tornado in Bangladesh kill 600 people.
Asia · BangladeshWikipedia: Thunderstorm - 1998
India carries out two nuclear weapon tests at Pokhran, following the three conducted on May 11. The United States and Japan impose economic sanctions on India.
Asia · Pokhran-IIWikipedia: Pokhran-II - 1998
Race riots break out in Jakarta, Indonesia, where shops owned by Indonesians of Chinese descent are looted and women raped.
Asia · JakartaWikipedia: May 1998 Indonesia riots - 1999
Kosovo War: NATO bombs the village of Koriša, killing at least 87 people.
Europe · Koriša bombingWikipedia: Kosovo War - 2000
A fireworks storage depot explodes in a residential neighborhood in Enschede, Netherlands, killing 23 people and injuring 950 others.
Europe · Enschede fireworks disasterWikipedia: Enschede fireworks disaster - 2005
Andijan uprising, Uzbekistan: Troops open fire on crowds of protestors after a prison break; at least 187 people were killed according to official estimates.
Asia · Andijan massacreWikipedia: Andijan massacre - 2006
São Paulo violence: Rebellions occur in several prisons in Brazil.
Latin America · São PauloWikipedia: 2006 São Paulo violence outbreak - 2008
Nine bombs placed by the Indian Mujahideen, then an unknown terrorist group, exploded in a 15-minute period in Jaipur, India, killing 80 people and injuring more than 200 others.
Asia · Jaipur bombingsWikipedia: Jaipur bombings - 2011
Two bombs explode in the Charsadda District of Pakistan killing 98 people and wounding 140 others.
Asia · 2011 Charsadda bombingWikipedia: 2011 Charsadda bombing - 2012
Forty-nine dismembered bodies are discovered by Mexican authorities on Mexican Federal Highway 40.
Latin America · Cadereyta Jiménez massacreWikipedia: Cadereyta Jiménez massacre - 2013
American physician Kermit Gosnell is found guilty in Pennsylvania of murdering three infants born alive during attempted abortions, involuntary manslaughter of a woman during an abortion procedure, and other charges.
North America · PennsylvaniaWikipedia: Kermit Gosnell - 2014
An explosion at an underground coal mine in southwest Turkey kills 301 miners.
Asia · Soma mine disasterWikipedia: Soma mine disaster - 2017
Eurovision Song Contest: Portugal won the contest for the first time, with the song "Amar pelos dois," performed by Salvador Sobral.
Europe · Eurovision Song Contest 2017Wikipedia: Eurovision Song Contest 2017
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 Chinese and Spanish and were translated for this page.
- 1497
Pope Alexander VI declares Girolamo Savonarola, the secular leader of Florence, a heretic and imposes excommunication on him.
- 1515
In Greenwich (England), Queen Mary Tudor and the aristocrat Charles Brandon marry.
Who was born on 13 May
In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 155 are shown.
- 1792
Pope Pius IX (died 1878)
SenigalliaWikipedia: Pope Pius IX - 1840
Alphonse Daudet, French author, poet, and playwright (died 1897)
- 1717
Maria Theresa, Archduchess, Queen, and Empress; Austrian wife of Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1780)
Hofburg PalaceWikipedia: Maria Theresa - 1950
Stevie Wonder, American singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
SaginawWikipedia: Stevie Wonder - 1857
Ronald Ross, Indian-English physician and mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1932)
AlmoraWikipedia: Ronald Ross - 1968
Scott Morrison, Australian politician, 30th Prime Minister of Australia
- 1986
Robert Pattinson, English actor
- 1993
Romelu Lukaku, Belgian footballer
AntwerpWikipedia: Romelu Lukaku - 1882
Georges Braque, French painter and sculptor (died 1963)
ArgenteuilWikipedia: Georges Braque - 1221
Alexander Nevsky, Russian prince and saint (died 1263)
Pereslavl-ZalesskyWikipedia: Alexander Nevsky - 1983
Yaya Touré, Ivorian footballer
BouakéWikipedia: Yaya Touré - 1907
Daphne du Maurier, English novelist and playwright (died 1989)
- 1986
Alexander Rybak, Belarusian-Norwegian singer-songwriter, violinist, and actor
- 1938
Giuliano Amato, Italian academic and politician, 48th Prime Minister of Italy
- 1939
Harvey Keitel, American actor
BrooklynWikipedia: Harvey Keitel - 1914
Joe Louis, American boxer (died 1981)
Chambers CountyWikipedia: Joe Louis - 1993
Debby Ryan, American actress and singer
HuntsvilleWikipedia: Debby Ryan - 1961
Dennis Rodman, American basketball player, wrestler, and actor
TrentonWikipedia: Dennis Rodman - 1753
Lazare Carnot, French general, mathematician, and politician, French Minister of the Interior (died 1823)
- 1905
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Indian lawyer and politician, 5th President of India (died 1977)
Old DelhiWikipedia: Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed - 1964
Stephen Colbert, American comedian and talk show host
Washington, D.C.Wikipedia: Stephen Colbert - 1987
Candice King, American singer-songwriter and actress
HoustonWikipedia: Candice King - 1888
Inge Lehmann, Danish seismologist and geophysicist (died 1993)
ØsterbroWikipedia: Inge Lehmann - 1937
Roger Zelazny, American author and poet (died 1995)
EuclidWikipedia: Roger Zelazny - 1922
Bea Arthur, American actress and singer (died 2009)
New York CityWikipedia: Bea Arthur - 1986
Lena Dunham, American actress, director, and screenwriter
United StatesWikipedia: Lena Dunham - 1713
Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (died 1765)
- 1954
Johnny Logan, Australian-Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist
City of FrankstonWikipedia: Johnny Logan - 1931
Jim Jones, American cult leader, founder of the Peoples Temple (died 1978)
CreteWikipedia: Jim Jones - 1979
Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland
Stockholm PalaceWikipedia: Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland - 1977
Samantha Morton, English actress and director
NottinghamWikipedia: Samantha Morton - 1730
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, English politician, Prime Minister of Great Britain (died 1782)
Wentworth WoodhouseWikipedia: Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham - 1842
Arthur Sullivan, English composer (died 1900)
- 1894
Ásgeir Ásgeirsson, Icelandic politician, 2nd President of Iceland (died 1972)
- 1941
Ritchie Valens, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1959)
PacoimaWikipedia: Ritchie Valens - 1998
Luca Zidane, Algerian footballer
MarseilleWikipedia: Luca Zidane - 1952
John Kasich, American politician, 69th Governor of Ohio
McKees RocksWikipedia: John Kasich - 1967
Chuck Schuldiner, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2001)
New York CityWikipedia: Chuck Schuldiner - 1985
Iwan Rheon, Welsh actor and singer
CarmarthenWikipedia: Iwan Rheon - 1254
Marie of Brabant, Queen of France (died 1321)
- 1822
Francis, Duke of Cádiz, King Consort of Queen Isabella II of Spain (died 1902)
- 1991
Francis Coquelin, French footballer
- 1883
Georgios Papanikolaou, Greek-American pathologist, invented the pap smear (died 1962)
- 1913
William R. Tolbert, Jr., Liberian politician, 20th President of Liberia (died 1980)
BensonvilleWikipedia: William Tolbert - 1963
Andrea Leadsom, English politician
AylesburyWikipedia: Andrea Leadsom - 1982
Oguchi Onyewu, American footballer
Washington, D.C.Wikipedia: Oguchi Onyewu - 1977
Tom Cotton, American politician
DardanelleWikipedia: Tom Cotton - 1999
Óscar Mingueza, Spanish footballer
Santa Perpètua de MogodaWikipedia: Óscar Mingueza - 1940
Bruce Chatwin, English author (died 1989)
SheffieldWikipedia: Bruce Chatwin - 1699
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, Portuguese politician, Prime Minister of Portugal (died 1782)
- 1742
Maria Christina, Duchess of Teschen (died 1798)
- 1969
Buckethead, American guitarist and songwriter
Huntington BeachWikipedia: Buckethead - 1987
Marianne Vos, Dutch cyclist
- 1928
Enrique Bolaños, Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua (died 2021)
NindiríWikipedia: Enrique Bolaños - 1949
Zoë Wanamaker, American-British actress
New York CityWikipedia: Zoë Wanamaker - 1978
Mike Bibby, American basketball player and coach
Cherry HillWikipedia: Mike Bibby - 1930
Mike Gravel, American politician (died 2021)
SpringfieldWikipedia: Mike Gravel - 1941
Senta Berger, Austrian actress
ViennaWikipedia: Senta Berger - 1967
Melanie Thornton, American-German singer (died 2001)
CharlestonWikipedia: Melanie Thornton - 1179
Theobald III, Count of Champagne (died 1201)
What is celebrated on 13 May
- Abbotsbury Garland Day (Dorset, England)
- Christian feast day: André-Hubert Fournet
- Christian feast day: Our Lady of Fátima
- Christian feast day: Conchita Barrecheguren (Roman Catholic)
- Christian feast day: Gerard of Villamagna
- Christian feast day: Glyceria
- Christian feast day: John the Silent (Roman Catholic)
- Christian feast day: Julian of Norwich (Roman Catholic)
- Christian feast day: Frances Perkins (Episcopal Church (USA))
- Christian feast day: Servatius
- Christian feast day: May 13 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Rotuma Day (Rotuma)
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.
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
- Events, births and holidays: the day’s page on Wikipedia, text under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates, places of birth and the number of editions: Wikidata (CC0).
- The Earth by day: NASA Blue Marble Next Generation. The Earth by night: NASA Black Marble 2016.
- Borders and regions: Natural Earth.
- World population and births per year: UN World Population Prospects 2024.
- Charts and films: Wikipedia’s lists for Billboard, the UK Singles Chart, Los 40 Principales, Romanian Top 100, Airplay 100 and American films by year (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Weather: Met Office Hadley Centre, HadCET (Open Government Licence) and NOAA GHCN-Daily, New York Central Park. Carbon dioxide: NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory, Mauna Loa.
- Earthquakes: the USGS catalogue. Launches: Jonathan McDowell, GCAT (CC BY). Kp index: GFZ Potsdam (CC BY 4.0). Matches: International football results, Mart Jürisoo (CC0).
- Animal observations: GBIF, with a link to each record; species names come from Wikidata.