A birthday on the globe
14 November on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born
For 14 November, the English Wikipedia lists 53 events and 229 births. 26 of the events stand at their places as rays of light; five 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 14 November through the years
The Earth on 14 November
The picture on the globe was assembled by NASA from satellite photographs taken in November 2004: the snow, the ice and the green are those of the month.
On 14 November the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 18.2° south. In London, the day lasts about 8 hours 55 minutes.
Beyond 72° south the Sun no longer sets; beyond 72° north 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 · Westminster Abbey
1973
In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey.
On the map: Westminster Abbey.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Romanian.
Europe · Kaisaniemi Park
1920
Pesäpallo, the Finnish version of baseball developed by Lauri Pihkala, is played for the first time at Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki.
On the map: Kaisaniemi Park.
Europe · Madrid
1975
With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain abandons Western Sahara.
On the map: Madrid.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Europe · Warsaw
1990
After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder–Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland.
On the map: Warsaw.
Asia · 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2010
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race of the season, becoming the youngest Formula One champion.
On the map: the coordinates Wikidata gives for the article “2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix”.
North America · Vancouver
1938
The Lions Gate Bridge, connecting Vancouver to the North Shore region, opens to traffic.
On the map: Vancouver.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Chinese.
North America · Washington, D.C.
2008
The first G-20 economic summit opens in Washington, D.C.
On the map: Washington, D.C..
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Chinese.
14 November
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.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Berlin Conference
1884
In Germany, the Berlin Conference opens, which approved the act dividing the African continent among the imperialist European countries.
On the map: Berlin Conference.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Algiers
1998
In Algiers (Algeria), Yasser Arafat symbolically declares the independent State of Palestine.
On the map: Algiers.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
14 November
Born on 14 November#
The English Wikipedia lists 229 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.
Born on 14 November
1840
Claude Monet, French painter (died 1926)
Place of birth: Paris.
Born on 14 November
1907
Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author and screenwriter (died 2002)
Place of birth: Vimmerby Parish.
Born on 14 November
1972
Josh Duhamel, American model and actor
Place of birth: Minot.
Born on 14 November
1891
Frederick Banting, Canadian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1941)
Place of birth: Alliston.
Born on 14 November
1979
Olga Kurylenko, Ukrainian-French model and actress
Place of birth: Berdiansk.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1797
Charles Lyell, Scottish geologist (died 1875)
Place of birth: Angus.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1944
Karen Armstrong, English author and academic
Place of birth: Worcestershire.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1959
Paul McGann, English actor
Place of birth: Kensington.
14 November
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: 14 November 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 14 November
The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 22 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.
- 332 BC
Alexander the Great is crowned pharaoh of Egypt.
Africa · Ancient EgyptWikipedia: Alexander the Great - 1680
German astronomer Gottfried Kirch discovers the Great Comet of 1680, the first comet to be discovered by telescope.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Gottfried Kirch - 1770
James Bruce discovers what he believes to be the source of the Nile.
no place on the mapWikipedia: James Bruce - 1812
Napoleonic Wars: At the Battle of Smoliani, French Marshals Victor and Oudinot are defeated by the Russians under General Peter Wittgenstein.
Europe · Battle of SmolianiWikipedia: Napoleonic Wars - 1851
Moby-Dick, a novel by Herman Melville, is published in the USA.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Moby-Dick - 1889
Pioneering female journalist Nellie Bly (aka Elizabeth Cochrane) begins a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days. She completes the trip in 72 days.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Nellie Bly - 1910
Aviator Eugene Burton Ely performs the first takeoff from a ship in Hampton Roads, Virginia, taking off from a makeshift deck on the USS Birmingham in a Curtiss pusher.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Aircraft pilot - 1914
The Joensuu City Hall, designed by Eliel Saarinen, was inaugurated in Joensuu, Finland.
Europe · Joensuu City HallWikipedia: Joensuu City Hall - 1918
The Provisional National Assembly of the new republic of Czechoslovakia meets to devise a constitution.
Europe · CzechoslovakiaWikipedia: Czechoslovakia - 1920
Pesäpallo, the Finnish version of baseball developed by Lauri Pihkala, is played for the first time at Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki.
Europe · Kaisaniemi ParkWikipedia: Kaisaniemi Park - 1921
The Communist Party of Spain is founded, and issues the first edition of Mundo obrero.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Communist Party of Spain - 1922
The British Broadcasting Company begins radio service in the United Kingdom.
no place on the mapWikipedia: British Broadcasting Company - 1938
The Lions Gate Bridge, connecting Vancouver to the North Shore region, opens to traffic.
North America · VancouverWikipedia: North Shore - 1940
World War II: In England, Coventry is heavily bombed by German Luftwaffe bombers. Coventry Cathedral is almost completely destroyed.
Britain & Ireland · Coventry CathedralWikipedia: World War II - 1941
World War II: German troops, aided by local auxiliaries, murder nine thousand residents of the Słonim Ghetto in a single day.
Europe · Słonim GhettoWikipedia: Słonim Ghetto - 1941
World War II: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal sinks due to torpedo damage from the German submarine U-81 sustained on November 13.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Aircraft carrier - 1952
The New Musical Express publishes the first regular UK Singles Chart.
no place on the mapWikipedia: NME - 1957
The "Apalachin meeting" in rural Tioga County in upstate New York is raided by law enforcement; many high-level Mafia figures are arrested while trying to flee.
North America · Apalachin meetingWikipedia: Apalachin meeting - 1960
Ruby Bridges becomes the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school in Louisiana.
North America · LouisianaWikipedia: Ruby Bridges - 1965
Vietnam War: The Battle of Ia Drang begins. This is the first major engagement between regular American and North Vietnamese forces.
Asia · Battle of Ia DrangWikipedia: Vietnam War - 1967
American physicist Theodore Maiman is given a patent for his ruby laser systems, the world's first laser.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Theodore Maiman - 1967
The Congress of Colombia, in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the death of Policarpa Salavarrieta, declares this day as "Day of the Colombian Woman".
no place on the mapWikipedia: Congress of Colombia - 1969
Apollo program: NASA launches Apollo 12, the second crewed mission to the surface of the Moon.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Apollo program - 1970
Southern Airways Flight 932 crashes in the mountains near Huntington, West Virginia, killing 75, including almost all of the Marshall University football team.
North America · Southern Airways Flight 932Wikipedia: Southern Airways Flight 932 - 1970
Soviet Union enters ICAO, making Russian the fourth official language of organization.
Asia · Soviet UnionWikipedia: Soviet Union - 1971
Mariner 9 enters orbit around Mars.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Mariner 9 - 1973
In the United Kingdom, Princess Anne marries Captain Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey.
Britain & Ireland · Westminster AbbeyWikipedia: Wedding of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips - 1973
The Athens Polytechnic uprising, a massive demonstration of popular rejection of the Greek military junta of 1967–74, begins.
Europe · Athens Polytechnic uprisingWikipedia: Greek junta - 1975
With the signing of the Madrid Accords, Spain abandons Western Sahara.
Europe · MadridWikipedia: Madrid Accords - 1977
During a British House of Commons debate, Labour MP Tam Dalyell poses what would become known as the West Lothian question, referring to issues related to devolution in the United Kingdom.
no place on the mapWikipedia: House of Commons of the United Kingdom - 1978
France conducts the Aphrodite nuclear test as 25th in the group of 29 1975–78 French nuclear tests.
Europe · FranceWikipedia: France - 1979
US President Jimmy Carter issues Executive Order 12170, freezing all Iranian assets in the United States in response to the hostage crisis.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Executive Order 12170 - 1982
Lech Wałęsa, the leader of Poland's outlawed Solidarity movement, is released after eleven months of internment near the Soviet border.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Lech Wałęsa - 1982
Reverend Caesar "Butch" Conde leads first worship service of the Bread of Life Ministries International in the Philippines.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Bread of Life Ministries International - 1984
Zamboanga City mayor Cesar Climaco, a prominent critic of the government of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, is assassinated in his home city.
Asia · Zamboanga CityWikipedia: Zamboanga City - 1990
After German reunification, the Federal Republic of Germany and Poland sign a treaty confirming the Oder–Neisse line as the border between Germany and Poland.
Europe · WarsawWikipedia: German reunification - 1990
Music producer Frank Farian admitted that the German R&B duo Milli Vanilli did not sing the vocals on their album Girl You Know It's True.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Frank Farian - 1990
While on approach to Zurich Airport, Alitalia Flight 404 crashes into Stadlerberg Mountain near Weiach, killing 46.
Europe · Alitalia Flight 404Wikipedia: Alitalia Flight 404 - 1991
American and British authorities announce indictments against two Libyan intelligence officials in connection with the downing of the Pan Am Flight 103.
Britain & Ireland · Pan Am Flight 103Wikipedia: Pan Am Flight 103 - 1991
Cambodian Prince Norodom Sihanouk returns to Phnom Penh after thirteen years in exile.
Asia · Phnom PenhWikipedia: Norodom Sihanouk - 1991
Croatian War of Independence: Croatian naval commandos attacked the Yugoslav patrol boat Mukos, starting the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels.
Europe · Battle of the Dalmatian ChannelsWikipedia: Croatian War of Independence - 1992
In poor conditions caused by Cyclone Forrest, Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 crashes near Nha Trang, killing 30.
Asia · Vietnam Airlines Flight 474Wikipedia: Vietnam Airlines Flight 474 - 1995
A budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress forces the federal government to temporarily close national parks and museums and to run most government offices with skeleton staffs.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1995–1996 United States federal government shutdowns - 2001
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes a remote part of the Tibetan Plateau. It has the longest known surface rupture recorded on land (~400 km) and is the best documented example of a supershear earthquake.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 2001 Kunlun earthquake - 2001
War in Afghanistan: Afghan Northern Alliance fighters take over the capital Kabul.
Asia · Fall of KabulWikipedia: Fall of Kabul - 2003
Astronomers discover Sedna, a distant trans-Neptunian dwarf planet.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Sedna - 2008
Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on STS-126 to continue assembly of the International Space Station.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Space Shuttle Endeavour - 2008
The first G-20 economic summit opens in Washington, D.C.
North America · Washington, D.C.Wikipedia: 2008 G20 Washington summit - 2010
Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel won the Drivers' Championship after winning the final race of the season, becoming the youngest Formula One champion.
Asia · 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand PrixWikipedia: 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - 2012
Israel launches a major military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to an escalation of rocket attacks by Hamas.
Asia · 2012 Gaza WarWikipedia: Israel - 2016
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake strikes Kaikōura, New Zealand, at a depth of 15 km (9 miles), resulting in the deaths of two people.
Oceania · 2016 Kaikōura earthquakeWikipedia: 2016 Kaikōura earthquake - 2017
A gunman kills four people and injures 12 others during a shooting spree across Rancho Tehama, California. He had earlier murdered his wife in their home.
North America · Rancho Tehama shootingsWikipedia: Rancho Tehama shootings - 2019
A mass shooting occurs at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, resulting in three deaths, including that of the perpetrator, and three injuries.
North America · Saugus High School shootingWikipedia: Saugus High School 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.
- 1884
In Germany, the Berlin Conference opens, which approved the act dividing the African continent among the imperialist European countries.
Europe · Berlin ConferenceTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in SpanishWikipedia: Conferencia de Berlín - 1998
In Algiers (Algeria), Yasser Arafat symbolically declares the independent State of Palestine.
Who was born on 14 November
In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 229 are shown.
- 1889
Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of India (died 1964)
PrayagrajWikipedia: Jawaharlal Nehru - 1948
Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms
Buckingham PalaceWikipedia: Charles III - 1840
Claude Monet, French painter (died 1926)
- 1907
Astrid Lindgren, Swedish author and screenwriter (died 2002)
Vimmerby ParishWikipedia: Astrid Lindgren - 1972
Josh Duhamel, American model and actor
- 1954
Condoleezza Rice, American political scientist, academic, and politician, 66th United States Secretary of State
BirminghamWikipedia: Condoleezza Rice - 1917
Park Chung Hee, South Korean general and politician, 3rd President of South Korea (died 1979)
- 1922
Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Egyptian politician and diplomat, 6th Secretary General of the United Nations (died 2016)
- 1650
William III of England, Prince of Orange, King of England, Scotland and Ireland (died 1702)
BinnenhofWikipedia: William III of England - 1935
Hussein of Jordan (died 1999)
- 1891
Frederick Banting, Canadian physician and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1941)
AllistonWikipedia: Frederick Banting - 1953
Dominique de Villepin, Moroccan-French lawyer and politician, 167th Prime Minister of France
- 1765
Robert Fulton, American engineer, early steamboat pioneer (died 1815)
Little Britain TownshipWikipedia: Robert Fulton - 1908
Joseph McCarthy, American captain, lawyer, and politician (died 1957)
Grand ChuteWikipedia: Joseph McCarthy - 1979
Olga Kurylenko, Ukrainian-French model and actress
BerdianskWikipedia: Olga Kurylenko - 1993
Samuel Umtiti, French footballer
YaoundéWikipedia: Samuel Umtiti - 1719
Leopold Mozart, Austrian violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1787)
AugsburgWikipedia: Leopold Mozart - 1985
Thomas Vermaelen, Belgian footballer
AntwerpWikipedia: Thomas Vermaelen - 1797
Charles Lyell, Scottish geologist (died 1875)
- 1900
Aaron Copland, American composer, conductor, and educator (died 1990)
BrooklynWikipedia: Aaron Copland - 1984
Marija Šerifović, Serbian singer
KragujevacWikipedia: Marija Šerifović - 1951
Zhang Yimou, Chinese actor, director, producer, and cinematographer
- 1863
Leo Baekeland, Belgian-American chemist and engineer (died 1944)
- 1922
Veronica Lake, American actress and singer (died 1973)
BrooklynWikipedia: Veronica Lake - 1972
Edyta Górniak, Polish singer
ZiębiceWikipedia: Edyta Górniak - 1930
Ed White, American engineer and astronaut (died 1967)
San AntonioWikipedia: Ed White - 1944
Karen Armstrong, English author and academic
WorcestershireWikipedia: Karen Armstrong - 1954
Yanni, Greek-American pianist, composer, and producer
KalamataWikipedia: Yanni - 1997
Noussair Mazraoui, Moroccan footballer
LeiderdorpWikipedia: Noussair Mazraoui - 1771
Marie François Xavier Bichat, French anatomist and physiologist (died 1802)
ThoiretteWikipedia: Xavier Bichat - 1997
Christopher Nkunku, French footballer
Lagny-sur-MarneWikipedia: Christopher Nkunku - 1778
Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian pianist and composer (died 1837)
BratislavaWikipedia: Johann Nepomuk Hummel - 1975
Travis Barker, American drummer, songwriter, and producer
FontanaWikipedia: Travis Barker - 1906
Louise Brooks, American actress and dancer (died 1985)
CherryvaleWikipedia: Louise Brooks - 1954
Bernard Hinault, French cyclist
YffiniacWikipedia: Bernard Hinault - 1805
Fanny Hensel, German pianist and composer (died 1847)
HamburgWikipedia: Fanny Hensel - 1990
Roman Bürki, Swiss footballer
MünsingenWikipedia: Roman Bürki - 1964
Patrick Warburton, American actor and comedian
PatersonWikipedia: Patrick Warburton - 1998
Sofia Kenin, American tennis player
MoscowWikipedia: Sofia Kenin - 1861
Frederick Jackson Turner, American historian and author (died 1932)
- 1779
Adam Oehlenschläger, Danish poet and playwright (died 1850)
CopenhagenWikipedia: Adam Oehlenschläger - 1989
Vlad Chiricheș, Romanian footballer
- 1812
Maria Cristina of Savoy (died 1836)
- 1904
Dick Powell, American actor, singer, director, and producer (died 1963)
Mountain ViewWikipedia: Dick Powell - 1939
Wendy Carlos, American keyboard player and composer
PawtucketWikipedia: Wendy Carlos - 1996
Borna Ćorić, Croatian tennis player
ZagrebWikipedia: Borna Ćorić - 1997
Axel Tuanzebe, English-Congolese footballer
- 1933
Fred Haise, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut
BiloxiWikipedia: Fred Haise - 1959
Paul McGann, English actor
KensingtonWikipedia: Paul McGann - 1981
Russell Tovey, English actor
BillericayWikipedia: Russell Tovey - 1907
William Steig, American author, illustrator, and sculptor (died 2003)
New York CityWikipedia: William Steig - 1838
August Šenoa, Croatian author, poet, and critic (died 1881)
ZagrebWikipedia: August Šenoa - 1921
Brian Keith, American actor and director (died 1997)
BayonneWikipedia: Brian Keith - 1982
Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai
- 1989
Jake Livermore, English footballer
EnfieldWikipedia: Jake Livermore - 1924
Leonid Kogan, Ukrainian-Russian violinist and educator (died 1982)
DniproWikipedia: Leonid Kogan - 1962
Laura San Giacomo, American actress
West OrangeWikipedia: Laura San Giacomo - 1947
P. J. O'Rourke, American political satirist and journalist (died 2022)
- 1601
John Eudes, French priest and missionary (died 1680)
- 1878
Leopold Staff, Ukrainian-Polish poet and academic (died 1957)
What is celebrated on 14 November
- Anniversary of the Movement of Readjustment (Guinea-Bissau)
- Children's Day, celebrated on the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru (previously on November 20). (India)
- Christian feast day: Alberic of Utrecht
- Christian feast day: All Saints of the Carmelites
- Christian feast day: All Souls of the Benedictine family
- Christian feast day: Barlaam of Kiev (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Dubricius (Dyfrig, or Devereux)
- Christian feast day: Hypatius of Gangra
- Christian feast day: Joseph Pignatelli SJ
- Christian feast day: Justinian I (Eastern Orthodox and Lutheran Church)
- Christian feast day: Laurence O'Toole
- Christian feast day: Nikola Tavelic
- Christian feast day: Philip the Apostle (Eastern Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Samuel Seabury (Anglican Communion)
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.