A birthday on the globe
15 February on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born
For 15 February, the English Wikipedia lists 64 events and 186 births. 34 of the events stand at their places as rays of light; eight 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 15 February through the years
The Earth on 15 February
The picture on the globe was assembled by NASA from satellite photographs taken in February 2004: the snow, the ice and the green are those of the month.
On 15 February the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 12.8° south. In London, the day lasts about 10 hours.
Beyond 77° south the Sun no longer sets; beyond 77° 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.
Europe · Pavia
1002
At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.
On the map: Pavia.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Europe · Sibiu
1690
Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
On the map: Sibiu.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish and Romanian.
Europe · Helsinki Cathedral
1852
The Helsinki Cathedral (known as St. Nicholas' Church at time) is officially inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.
On the map: Helsinki Cathedral.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Africa · Tomb of Kha and Merit
1906
A team of Italian archaeologists led by Ernesto Schiaparelli discovered the tomb of Kha and Merit, an ancient Egyptian foreman and his wife, in the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina.
On the map: Tomb of Kha and Merit.
North America · Supreme Court of the United States
1879
Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
On the map: Supreme Court of the United States.
North America · Carnegie Hall
1940
Paul Creston's Saxophone Sonata is officially premiered at the Carnegie Chamber Hall by saxophonist Cecil Leeson, who had commissioned it, and the composer.
On the map: Carnegie Hall.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
North America · University of Pennsylvania
1946
ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
On the map: University of Pennsylvania.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish and Chinese.
15 February
Born on 15 February#
The English Wikipedia lists 186 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 15 February
1564
Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (died 1642)
Place of birth: Pisa.
Born on 15 February
1748
Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (died 1832)
Place of birth: Houndsditch.
Born on 15 February
1861
Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (died 1947)
Place of birth: Ramsgate.
Born on 15 February
1820
Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (died 1906)
Place of birth: Adams.
Born on 15 February
1861
Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1938)
Place of birth: Fleurier.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1874
Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (died 1922)
Place of birth: Kilkea Castle.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1951
Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
Place of birth: Uxbridge.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1929
Graham Hill, English racing driver and businessman (died 1975)
Place of birth: Hampstead.
15 February
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: 15 February 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 15 February
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.
- 438
Roman emperor Theodosius II publishes the law codex Codex Theodosianus.
Europe · Ancient RomeWikipedia: Ancient Rome - 590
Khosrau II is crowned king of Persia.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Khosrow II - 706
Byzantine emperor Justinian II has his predecessors Leontios and Tiberios III publicly executed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople.
Asia · Hippodrome of ConstantinopleWikipedia: Byzantine Empire - 1002
At an assembly at Pavia of Lombard nobles, Arduin of Ivrea is restored to his domains and crowned King of Italy.
Europe · PaviaWikipedia: Pavia - 1113
Pope Paschal II issues Pie Postulatio Voluntatis, recognizing the Order of Hospitallers.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Pope Paschal II - 1214
During the Anglo-French War (1213–1214), an English invasion force led by John, King of England, lands at La Rochelle in France.
Europe · La RochelleWikipedia: Anglo-French War - 1493
While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon his return to Portugal) describing his discoveries and the unexpected items he came across in the New World.
Europe · PortugalWikipedia: Niña - 1637
Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor - 1690
Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibiu, stipulating that Moldavia would support the actions led by the House of Habsburg against the Ottoman Empire.
Europe · SibiuWikipedia: Constantin Cantemir - 1763
Prussia, Saxony and the Habsburg monarchy signed the Treaty of Hubertusburg, ending the Third Silesian War.
Europe · Treaty of HubertusburgWikipedia: Treaty of Hubertusburg - 1764
The city of St. Louis is established in Spanish Louisiana (now in Missouri, USA).
North America · St. LouisWikipedia: St. Louis - 1796
French Revolutionary Wars: The invasion of Ceylon ended with Johan van Angelbeek, the Batavian governor of the island, surrendering Colombo to British forces.
Asia · Invasion of CeylonWikipedia: Invasion of Ceylon - 1798
The Roman Republic is proclaimed after Louis-Alexandre Berthier, a general of Napoleon, had invaded the city of Rome five days earlier.
Europe · RomeWikipedia: Roman Republic - 1823
James McBrien made the first official discovery of gold in Australia at Fish River in New South Wales.
Oceania · New South WalesWikipedia: Australian gold rushes - 1835
Serbia's Sretenje Constitution briefly comes into effect.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1835 Constitution of Serbia - 1852
The Helsinki Cathedral (known as St. Nicholas' Church at time) is officially inaugurated in Helsinki, Finland.
Europe · Helsinki CathedralWikipedia: Helsinki Cathedral - 1862
American Civil War: Confederates commanded by Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd attack General Ulysses S. Grant's Union forces besieging Fort Donelson in Tennessee. Unable to break the fort's encirclement, the Confederates surrender the following day.
North America · Battle of Fort DonelsonWikipedia: American Civil War - 1870
Stevens Institute of Technology is founded in New Jersey, US, and offers the first Bachelor of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering.
North America · Stevens Institute of TechnologyWikipedia: Stevens Institute of Technology - 1872
First issue of the Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne, the first or one of the first anarchist newspapers.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Bulletin de la Fédération jurassienne - 1879
Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
North America · Supreme Court of the United StatesWikipedia: Supreme Court of the United States - 1898
The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing about 274 of the ship's roughly 354 crew. The disaster pushes the United States to declare war on Spain.
Latin America · HavanaWikipedia: Spanish–American War - 1899
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia issues a declaration known as the February Manifesto, which reduces the autonomy of the Grand Duchy of Finland, thus beginning the first period of oppression.
Europe · Grand Duchy of FinlandWikipedia: Nicholas II - 1900
Second Boer War: British cavalry led by John French defeated Boer forces to end a 124-day siege of Kimberley in present-day South Africa.
Africa · Siege of KimberleyWikipedia: Second Boer War - 1906
A team of Italian archaeologists led by Ernesto Schiaparelli discovered the tomb of Kha and Merit, an ancient Egyptian foreman and his wife, in the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina.
Africa · Tomb of Kha and MeritWikipedia: Tomb of Kha and Merit - 1907
Japan and the United States signed a gentleman's agreement whereby the former would not permit further emigration to the U.S., while the latter would not limit Japanese immigration.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 - 1909
The Flores Theater fire in Acapulco, Mexico, kills 250.
Latin America · AcapulcoWikipedia: Acapulco - 1915
Sepoys of Indian Muslim background mutinied against their British officers in Singapore.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1915 Singapore Mutiny - 1923
Greece becomes the last European country to adopt the Gregorian calendar.
Europe · GreeceWikipedia: Greece - 1925
The 1925 serum run to Nome: The second delivery of serum arrives in Nome, Alaska.
North America · Nome, AlaskaWikipedia: 1925 serum run to Nome - 1933
In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt, but instead shoots Chicago mayor Anton J. Cermak, who dies of his wounds on March 6.
North America · Bayfront ParkWikipedia: Attempted assassination of Franklin D. Roosevelt - 1940
Paul Creston's Saxophone Sonata is officially premiered at the Carnegie Chamber Hall by saxophonist Cecil Leeson, who had commissioned it, and the composer.
North America · Carnegie HallWikipedia: Paul Creston - 1942
World War II: Fall of Singapore. Following an assault by Japanese forces, the British General Arthur Percival surrenders. About 80,000 Indian, United Kingdom and Australian soldiers become prisoners of war, the largest surrender of British-led military personnel in history.
Asia · Fall of SingaporeWikipedia: World War II - 1944
World War II: The Narva Offensive begins.
Europe · Narva offensiveWikipedia: Narva offensive - 1944
World War II: The assault on Monte Cassino, Italy, begins.
Europe · Battle of Monte CassinoWikipedia: Battle of Monte Cassino - 1946
ENIAC, the first electronic general-purpose computer, is formally dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
North America · University of PennsylvaniaWikipedia: ENIAC - 1949
Gerald Lankester Harding and Roland de Vaux begin excavations at Cave 1 of the Qumran Caves, where they will eventually discover the first seven Dead Sea Scrolls.
Asia · Qumran CavesWikipedia: Gerald Lankester Harding - 1952
King George VI of the United Kingdom is buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Britain & Ireland · St George's Chapel, Windsor CastleWikipedia: St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle - 1954
Canada and the United States agree to construct the Distant Early Warning Line, a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic regions of Canada and Alaska.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Distant Early Warning Line - 1961
Sabena Flight 548 crashes in Belgium, killing 73, including the entire United States figure skating team along with several of their coaches and family members.
Europe · Sabena Flight 548Wikipedia: Sabena Flight 548 - 1965
The maple leaf is adopted as the flag of Canada, replacing the Canadian Red Ensign flag.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Maple leaf - 1970
Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603 crashes into the Caribbean Sea after takeoff from Las Américas International Airport, killing 102, including members of the Puerto Rico women's national volleyball team and lightweight boxer Carlos Cruz.
Latin America · Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603Wikipedia: Dominicana de Aviación Flight 603 - 1971
The decimalisation of the currencies of the United Kingdom and Ireland is completed on Decimal Day.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Decimal Day - 1972
José María Velasco Ibarra, serving as President of Ecuador for the fifth time, is overthrown by the military for the fourth time.
no place on the mapWikipedia: José María Velasco Ibarra - 1972
Sound recordings are granted U.S. federal copyright protection for the first time.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Geneva Phonograms Convention - 1976
The first constitution since the Cuban Revolution, providing for a system of government and law based on those of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc countries, was adopted by a national referendum.
Asia · Soviet UnionWikipedia: Cuban Revolution - 1979
Don Dunstan resigned as Premier of South Australia, ending a decade of sweeping social liberalisation.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Don Dunstan - 1982
Murder of four anti-apartheid student activists by South African government forces, who decades later were the first to be indicted for the crime of apartheid.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Cosas Four - 1982
The drilling rig Ocean Ranger sinks during a storm off the coast of Newfoundland, killing 84 workers.
Oceans · Ocean RangerWikipedia: Drilling rig - 1989
Soviet–Afghan War: The Soviet Union officially announces that all of its troops have left Afghanistan.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan - 1991
The Visegrád Group, establishing cooperation to move toward free-market systems, is signed by the leaders of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland.
Europe · CzechoslovakiaWikipedia: Visegrád Group - 1992
Air Transport International Flight 805 crashes in Swanton, Ohio, near Toledo Express Airport, killing all four people on board.
North America · Air Transport International Flight 805Wikipedia: Air Transport International Flight 805 - 1992
Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is sentenced in Milwaukee to 15 terms of life in prison.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Jeffrey Dahmer - 1995
Kevin Mitnick, the most wanted computer hacker at the time in the U.S., was arrested and charged with computer fraud and wire fraud.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Kevin Mitnick - 1996
At the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China, a Long March 3B rocket carrying Intelsat 708 veers off course and crashes into a rural village after liftoff, killing somewhere between six and 100 people.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Xichang Satellite Launch Center - 1996
Then-Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien applies a chokehold to protester Bill Clennett, an incident later named the Shawinigan Handshake.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Shawinigan Handshake - 1999
Abdullah Öcalan, one of the founding members of the militant organization the Kurdistan Workers' Party, was arrested by Turkish security forces in Nairobi, Kenya.
Africa · NairobiWikipedia: Abdullah Öcalan - 2001
The first draft of the complete human genome is published in Nature.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Human genome - 2003
Protests against the Iraq war take place in over 600 cities worldwide. It is estimated that between eight million and 30 million people participate, making this the largest peace demonstration in history.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 15 February 2003 Iraq War protests - 2003
The last Ariane 4 rocket is launched from the Guiana Space Centre, carrying Intelsat 907.
Europe · Guiana Space CentreWikipedia: Ariane 4 - 2010
Two trains collide in the Halle train collision in Halle, Belgium, killing 19 and injuring 171 people.
Europe · Halle train collisionWikipedia: Halle train collision - 2012
Three hundred and sixty people die in a fire at a Honduran prison in the city of Comayagua.
Latin America · Comayagua prison fireWikipedia: Comayagua prison fire - 2013
A meteor explodes over Russia, injuring 1,500 people as a shock wave blows out windows and rocks buildings. This happens unexpectedly only hours before the expected closest ever approach of the larger and unrelated asteroid 2012 DA14.
Asia · Chelyabinsk meteorWikipedia: Chelyabinsk meteor - 2018
Following nationwide protests, Hailemariam Desalegn announced his resignation as prime minister of Ethiopia, remaining in post as a caretaker until he was succeeded by Abiy Ahmed.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 2014–2016 Oromo protests - 2021
Sixty people drown and hundreds are missing after a boat sinks on the Congo River near the village of Longola Ekoti, Mai-Ndombe Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Africa · Mai-Ndombe ProvinceWikipedia: 2021 Congo River disaster
Who was born on 15 February
In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 186 are shown.
- 1564
Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, physicist, and mathematician (died 1642)
- 1710
Louis XV of France (died 1774)
VersaillesWikipedia: Louis XV - 1748
Jeremy Bentham, English jurist and philosopher (died 1832)
HoundsditchWikipedia: Jeremy Bentham - 1861
Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician and philosopher (died 1947)
- 1820
Susan B. Anthony, American suffragist and activist (died 1906)
- 1861
Charles Édouard Guillaume, Swiss-French physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1938)
- 1874
Ernest Shackleton, Anglo-Irish captain and explorer (died 1922)
Kilkea CastleWikipedia: Ernest Shackleton - 1952
Tomislav Nikolić, Serbian politician, 4th President of Serbia
KragujevacWikipedia: Tomislav Nikolić - 1954
Matt Groening, American animator, producer, and screenwriter
PortlandWikipedia: Matt Groening - 1910
Irena Sendler, Polish nurse and humanitarian, Righteous Gentile (died 2008)
WarsawWikipedia: Irena Sendler - 1962
Milo Đukanović, Montenegrin politician, 29th Prime Minister of Montenegro
- 1907
Cesar Romero, American actor (died 1994)
New York CityWikipedia: Cesar Romero - 1988
Rui Patrício, Portuguese footballer
MarrazesWikipedia: Rui Patrício - 1845
Elihu Root, American lawyer and politician, 38th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1937)
ClintonWikipedia: Elihu Root - 1873
Hans von Euler-Chelpin, German-Swedish biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1964)
- 1934
Niklaus Wirth, Swiss computer scientist, created the Pascal programming language (died 2024)
WinterthurWikipedia: Niklaus Wirth - 1951
Jane Seymour, English-American actress, producer, and jewelry designer
UxbridgeWikipedia: Jane Seymour - 1995
Megan Thee Stallion, American rapper
San AntonioWikipedia: Megan Thee Stallion - 1856
Emil Kraepelin, German psychiatrist and academic (died 1926)
NeustrelitzWikipedia: Emil Kraepelin - 1890
Robert Ley, German politician (died 1945)
NiederbreidenbachWikipedia: Robert Ley - 1811
Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Argentinian journalist and politician, 7th President of Argentina (died 1888)
- 1929
Graham Hill, English racing driver and businessman (died 1975)
HampsteadWikipedia: Graham Hill - 1998
George Russell, English racing driver
King's LynnWikipedia: George Russell - 1964
Chris Farley, American comedian and actor (died 1997)
MadisonWikipedia: Chris Farley - 1835
Demetrius Vikelas, Greek businessman and philanthropist (died 1908)
ErmoupolisWikipedia: Demetrios Vikelas - 1898
Totò, Italian actor, singer, and screenwriter (died 1967)
NaplesWikipedia: Totò - 1899
Gale Sondergaard, Danish-American actress (died 1985)
LitchfieldWikipedia: Gale Sondergaard - 1923
Yelena Bonner, Soviet-Russian activist (died 2011)
- 1935
Roger B. Chaffee, American lieutenant, engineer, and astronaut (died 1967)
Grand RapidsWikipedia: Roger B. Chaffee - 1974
Alexander Wurz, Austrian racing driver and businessman
Waidhofen an der ThayaWikipedia: Alexander Wurz - 1988
Papu Gómez, Argentine footballer
Buenos AiresWikipedia: Papu Gómez - 1909
Miep Gies, Austrian-Dutch humanitarian, helped hide Anne Frank and her family (died 2010)
ViennaWikipedia: Miep Gies - 1971
Alex Borstein, American actress, voice artist, producer, and screenwriter
Highland ParkWikipedia: Alex Borstein - 1972
Jaromír Jágr, Czech ice hockey player
KladnoWikipedia: Jaromír Jágr - 1947
John Adams, American composer
WorcesterWikipedia: John Adams - 1981
Heurelho Gomes, Brazilian footballer
João PinheiroWikipedia: Heurelho Gomes - 1931
Claire Bloom, English actress
FinchleyWikipedia: Claire Bloom - 1841
Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales, Brazilian lawyer and politician, 4th President of Brazil (died 1913)
CampinasWikipedia: Campos Sales - 1993
Manuel Lanzini, Argentine footballer
ItuzaingóWikipedia: Manuel Lanzini - 1971
Renee O'Connor, American actress, director, and producer
HoustonWikipedia: Renee O'Connor - 1993
Geoffrey Kondogbia, Central African footballer
- 2000
Jakub Kiwior, Polish footballer
- 1472
Piero the Unfortunate, Italian ruler (died 1503)
FlorenceWikipedia: Piero the Unfortunate - 1899
Georges Auric, French composer (died 1983)
LodèveWikipedia: Georges Auric - 1905
Harold Arlen, American composer (died 1986)
BuffaloWikipedia: Harold Arlen - 1945
Douglas Hofstadter, American author and academic
New York CityWikipedia: Douglas Hofstadter - 1377
Ladislaus of Naples (died 1414)
- 1955
Christopher McDonald, American actor
New York CityWikipedia: Christopher McDonald - 1986
Valeri Bojinov, Bulgarian footballer
Gorna OryahovitsaWikipedia: Valeri Bojinov - 1974
Miranda July, American actress, director, and screenwriter
- 1986
Amber Riley, American actress and singer
Los AngelesWikipedia: Amber Riley - 1638
Zeb-un-Nissa, Mughal princess and poet (died 1702)
DaulatabadWikipedia: Zeb-un-Nissa - 1759
Friedrich August Wolf, German philologist and critic (died 1824)
HainrodeWikipedia: Friedrich August Wolf - 1809
Cyrus McCormick, American journalist and businessman, co-founded International Harvester (died 1884)
RaphineWikipedia: Cyrus McCormick - 1927
Harvey Korman, American actor and comedian (died 2008)
ChicagoWikipedia: Harvey Korman - 1929
James R. Schlesinger, American economist and politician, 12th United States Secretary of Defense (died 2014)
New York CityWikipedia: James R. Schlesinger - 1955
Janice Dickinson, American model, agent, and author
BrooklynWikipedia: Janice Dickinson - 1948
Art Spiegelman, Swedish-American cartoonist and critic
StockholmWikipedia: Art Spiegelman - 1983
Philipp Degen, Swiss footballer
LiestalWikipedia: Philipp Degen - 1840
Titu Maiorescu, Romanian philosopher, academic, and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Romania (died 1917)
CraiovaWikipedia: Titu Maiorescu
What is celebrated on 15 February
- Christian feast day: Blessed Michał Sopoćko
- Christian feast day: Claude de la Colombière
- Christian feast day: Faustinus and Jovita
- Christian feast day: Oswiu
- Christian feast day: Quinidius
- Christian feast day: Sigfrid of Sweden
- Christian feast day: Thomas Bray (Episcopal Church)
- Christian feast day: Walfrid
- Christian feast day: 21 Coptic Martyrs of Libya
- Christian feast day: February 15 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- International Duties Memorial Day (Russia, regional)
- John Frum Day (Vanuatu)
- Liberation Day (Afghanistan)
- National Flag of Canada Day (Canada)
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.