A birthday on the globe
3 November on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born
For 3 November, the English Wikipedia lists 64 events and 258 births. 26 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 3 November through the years
The Earth on 3 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 3 November the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 15.0° south. In London, the day lasts about 9 hours 35 minutes.
Beyond 75° south the Sun no longer sets; beyond 75° 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 · Étaples
1492
Peace of Etaples between Henry VII of England and Charles VIII of France.
On the map: Étaples.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
Asia · Gwangju
1929
The Gwangju Student Independence Movement occurred.
On the map: Gwangju.
North America · Montreal
1817
The Bank of Montreal, Canada's oldest chartered bank, opens in Montreal.
On the map: Montreal.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish and Chinese.
North America · United States Congress
1868
John Willis Menard (R-LA) becomes the first African American elected to the United States Congress. Because of an electoral challenge, he is never seated.
On the map: United States Congress.
Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish.
North America · Washington, D.C.
1976
Carrie, an American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma, is premiered in 17 theaters in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.
On the map: Washington, D.C..
3 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 Romanian and were translated for this page.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Constance
1414
In Germany, Jan Hus arrives in the town of Constance, where three days later Pope John XXIII will open the Council of Constance.
On the map: Constance.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Jauja
1536
In Madrid (Spain), King Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire confirms by royal decree the transfer of the capital city of the Viceroyalty of Peru from Jauja to Lima, known as the "City of the Kings", 264 km towards the western coast of Peru, in the Rímac River valley.
On the map: Jauja.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
From Wikipedia in Romanian · White House
1800
The White House, the residence of the presidents of the USA, in Washington, D.C., is established. The building was constructed to the plans of the architect James Hoban, with work beginning in 1792.
On the map: White House.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Romanian.
From Wikipedia in Spanish · Istanbul
1839
In Istanbul (Ottoman Empire), the Edict of Gülhane is promulgated, which began the period known as the Tanzimat (or "era of reforms").
On the map: Istanbul.
Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.
3 November
Born on 3 November#
The English Wikipedia lists 258 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 3 November
1933
Amartya Sen, Indian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
Place of birth: Santiniketan.
Born on 3 November
1901
André Malraux, French historian, theorist, and author (died 1976)
Place of birth: 18th arrondissement of Paris.
Born on 3 November
1945
Gerd Müller, German footballer and manager (died 2021)
Place of birth: Nördlingen.
Born on 3 November
1882
Yakub Kolas, Belarusian writer (died 1956)
Place of birth: Akinchytsy.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1948
Lulu, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
Place of birth: Glasgow.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1749
Daniel Rutherford, Scottish chemist and physician (died 1819)
Place of birth: Edinburgh.
Born in Britain and Ireland
1963
Ian Wright, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
Place of birth: Woolwich.
3 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: 3 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 3 November
The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 30 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.
- 361
Emperor Constantius II dies of a fever at Mopsuestia in Cilicia; on his deathbed he is baptised and declares his cousin Julian rightful successor.
Asia · MopsuestiaWikipedia: Constantius II - 1090
The Rouen Riot, an attempt by English king William Rufus to take possession of Rouen, the capital city of his brother Robert, duke of Normandy, fails.
Europe · RouenWikipedia: Rouen Riot - 1333
The River Arno floods causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani.
Europe · ArnoWikipedia: Arno - 1468
Liège is sacked by the troops of Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy.
Europe · LiègeWikipedia: Liège - 1492
Peace of Etaples between Henry VII of England and Charles VIII of France.
Europe · ÉtaplesWikipedia: Peace of Étaples - 1493
Christopher Columbus first sights the island of Dominica in the Caribbean Sea.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Christopher Columbus - 1534
English Parliament passes the first Act of Supremacy, making King Henry VIII head of the Anglican Church, supplanting the pope and the Roman Catholic Church.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Acts of Supremacy - 1783
The American Continental Army is disbanded.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Continental Army - 1791
The University of Vermont, the oldest university in Vermont, and fifth-oldest in New England, is chartered.
North America · University of VermontWikipedia: University of Vermont - 1793
French playwright, journalist and feminist Olympe de Gouges is guillotined.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Feminism - 1805
War of the Third Coalition: The Treaty of Potsdam was signed compelling Prussia to join the coalition if it failed to negotiate peace between Russia and France.
no place on the mapWikipedia: War of the Third Coalition - 1812
Napoleon's armies are defeated at the Battle of Vyazma.
Europe · Battle of VyazmaWikipedia: Battle of Vyazma - 1817
The Bank of Montreal, Canada's oldest chartered bank, opens in Montreal.
North America · MontrealWikipedia: Bank of Montreal - 1838
The Times of India, the world's largest circulated English language daily broadsheet newspaper is founded as The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce.
no place on the mapWikipedia: The Times of India - 1848
A greatly revised Dutch constitution, which transfers much authority from the king to his parliament and ministers, is proclaimed.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Constitution of the Netherlands - 1867
Giuseppe Garibaldi and his followers are defeated in the Battle of Mentana and fail to end the Pope's Temporal power in Rome (it would be achieved three years later).
Europe · MentanaWikipedia: Battle of Mentana - 1868
John Willis Menard (R-LA) becomes the first African American elected to the United States Congress. Because of an electoral challenge, he is never seated.
North America · United States CongressWikipedia: United States Congress - 1880
The current melody of Kimigayo, the national anthem of Japan, was adopted.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Kimigayo - 1881
The Mapuche uprising of 1881 begins in Chile.
Latin America · Araucanía RegionWikipedia: Mapuche uprising of 1881 - 1898
France withdraws its troops from Fashoda (now in Sudan), ending the Fashoda Incident.
Africa · KodokWikipedia: Kodok - 1903
With the encouragement of the United States, Panama separates from Colombia.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Secession of Panama from Colombia - 1908
William Howard Taft is elected the 27th President of the United States.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1908 United States presidential election - 1911
Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Chevrolet - 1918
The German Revolution of 1918–19 begins when 40,000 sailors take over the port in Kiel.
Europe · KielWikipedia: German revolution of 1918–1919 - 1920
Russian Civil War: The Russian Army retreats to Crimea, after a successful offensive by the Red Army and Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Northern Taurida Operation - 1929
The Gwangju Student Independence Movement occurred.
Asia · GwangjuWikipedia: Gwangju Student Independence Movement - 1930
Getúlio Vargas becomes Head of the Provisional Government in Brazil after a bloodless coup on October 24.
Latin America · BrazilWikipedia: Getúlio Vargas - 1932
Panagis Tsaldaris becomes the 142nd Prime Minister of Greece.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Panagis Tsaldaris - 1935
George II of Greece regains his throne through a popular, though possibly fixed, plebiscite.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1935 Greek monarchy referendum - 1936
Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected as President of the United States.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1936 United States presidential election - 1942
World War II: The Koli Point action begins during the Guadalcanal campaign and ends on November 12.
Oceania · Koli Point actionWikipedia: World War II - 1943
The Holocaust: The largest massacre of Jews by German forces began at Majdanek concentration camp.
Europe · Operation Harvest FestivalWikipedia: Operation Harvest Festival - 1943
World War II: Five hundred aircraft of the U.S. 8th Air Force devastate Wilhelmshaven harbor in Germany.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Bombing of Wilhelmshaven in World War II - 1944
World War II: Two supreme commanders of the Slovak National Uprising, Generals Ján Golian and Rudolf Viest, are captured, tortured and later executed by German forces.
Europe · Slovak RepublicWikipedia: Slovak National Uprising - 1946
The Constitution of Japan is adopted through Emperor's assent.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Constitution of Japan - 1948
The Chicago Daily Tribune published the erroneous headline "Dewey Defeats Truman" in its early morning edition shortly after incumbent U.S. president Harry S. Truman officially upset the heavily favored governor of New York Thomas Dewey in the presidential election.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1948 United States presidential election - 1949
Chinese Civil War: The Battle of Dengbu Island occurs.
Asia · Battle of Dengbu IslandWikipedia: Battle of Dengbu Island - 1950
Air India Flight 245 crashes into Mont Blanc while on approach to Geneva Airport, killing all 48 people on board.
Europe · Air India Flight 245Wikipedia: Air India Flight 245 - 1954
The first film featuring the giant monster known as Godzilla was released nationwide in Japan.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Godzilla - 1956
Hungarian Revolution: A new Hungarian government is formed, in which many members of banned non-Communist parties participate. János Kádár and Ferenc Münnich form a counter-government in Moscow as Soviet troops prepare for the final assault.
Europe · Hungarian People's RepublicWikipedia: Hungarian Revolution of 1956 - 1956
Suez Crisis: The Khan Yunis killings by the Israel Defense Forces in Egyptian-controlled Gaza result in the deaths of 275 Palestinians.
Asia · Khan Yunis massacreWikipedia: Suez Crisis - 1957
Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 2. On board is the first animal to enter orbit, a dog named Laika.
Asia · Soviet UnionWikipedia: List of spacecraft called Sputnik - 1960
The land that would become the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is established by an Act of Congress after a year-long legal battle that pitted local residents against Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials wishing to turn the Great Swamp into a major regional airport for jet aircraft.
North America · Great Swamp National Wildlife RefugeWikipedia: Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge - 1961
U Thant is unanimously appointed as the 3rd Secretary-General of the United Nations, becoming the first non-European individual to occupy the post.
no place on the mapWikipedia: U Thant - 1964
Lyndon B. Johnson is elected to a full term as U.S. president, winning 61% of the vote and 44 states, while Washington D.C. residents are able to vote in a presidential election for the first time, casting the majority of their votes for Lyndon Johnson.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1964 United States presidential election - 1967
Vietnam War: The Battle of Dak To begins.
Asia · Battle of Dak ToWikipedia: Vietnam War - 1969
Vietnam War: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon addresses the nation on television and radio, asking the "silent majority" to join him in solidarity on the Vietnam War effort and to support his policies.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Richard Nixon - 1973
Mariner program: NASA launches the Mariner 10 toward Mercury. On March 29, 1974, it becomes the first space probe to reach that planet.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Mariner program - 1975
Four Bangladeshi politicians are killed in the Dhaka Central Jail.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Jail Killing Day - 1976
Carrie, an American supernatural horror film directed by Brian De Palma, is premiered in 17 theaters in the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.
North America · Washington, D.C.Wikipedia: Carrie - 1978
Dominica gains its independence from the United Kingdom.
Latin America · DominicaWikipedia: Dominica - 1979
Greensboro massacre: Five members of the Communist Workers Party are shot dead and seven are wounded by a group of Klansmen and neo-Nazis during a "Death to the Klan" rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.
North America · Greensboro massacreWikipedia: Greensboro massacre - 1980
A Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crashes at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Venezuela, killing four.
Latin America · 1980 Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crashWikipedia: 1980 Latin Carga Convair CV-880 crash - 1982
The Salang Tunnel fire in Afghanistan kills 150–2000 people.
Asia · 1982 Salang Tunnel fireWikipedia: 1982 Salang Tunnel fire - 1986
Iran–Contra affair: The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reports that the United States has been secretly selling weapons to Iran in order to secure the release of seven American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Iran–Contra affair - 1986
The Compact of Free Association becomes law, granting the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands independence from the United States.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Compact of Free Association - 1988
Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries attempt to overthrow the Maldivian government. At President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's request, the Indian military suppresses the rebellion within 24 hours.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 1988 Maldives coup attempt - 1992
Democratic Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton defeats Republican President George H. W. Bush and Independent candidate Ross Perot in the 1992 United States presidential election.
North America · ArkansasWikipedia: 1992 United States presidential election - 1994
Space Shuttle program: Atlantis launches on STS-66.
no place on the mapWikipedia: Space Shuttle program - 1996
Abdullah Çatlı, the leader of the Turkish ultranationalist organization Grey Wolves, dies in the Susurluk car crash, leading to the resignation of Interior Minister Mehmet Ağar (a leader of the True Path Party).
no place on the mapWikipedia: Susurluk car crash - 1997
The United States imposes economic sanctions against Sudan in response to its human rights abuses of its own citizens and its material and political assistance to Islamic extremist groups across the Middle East and East Africa.
Africa · SudanWikipedia: Economic sanctions - 2002
A CIA drone strike kills six militants in Yemen, constituting the first targeted killing of the war on terror.
Asia · 2002 Marib airstrikeWikipedia: 2002 Marib airstrike - 2014
One World Trade Center officially opens in New York City, replacing the Twin Towers after they were destroyed during the September 11 attacks.
North America · One World Trade CenterWikipedia: September 11 attacks - 2020
The 2020 United States presidential election takes place between Democratic Joe Biden and Republican incumbent President Donald Trump. On November 7, Biden was declared the winner.
no place on the mapWikipedia: 2020 United States presidential election
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 Romanian and were translated for this page.
- 1414
In Germany, Jan Hus arrives in the town of Constance, where three days later Pope John XXIII will open the Council of Constance.
- 1536
In Madrid (Spain), King Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire confirms by royal decree the transfer of the capital city of the Viceroyalty of Peru from Jauja to Lima, known as the "City of the Kings", 264 km towards the western coast of Peru, in the Rímac River valley.
- 1800
The White House, the residence of the presidents of the USA, in Washington, D.C., is established. The building was constructed to the plans of the architect James Hoban, with work beginning in 1792.
- 1839
In Istanbul (Ottoman Empire), the Edict of Gülhane is promulgated, which began the period known as the Tanzimat (or "era of reforms").
Who was born on 3 November
In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 258 are shown.
- 1933
Amartya Sen, Indian economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
SantiniketanWikipedia: Amartya Sen - 1901
André Malraux, French historian, theorist, and author (died 1976)
18th arrondissement of ParisWikipedia: André Malraux - 1618
Aurangzeb, Mughal emperor of India (died 1707)
DahodWikipedia: Aurangzeb - 1852
Emperor Meiji of Japan (died 1912)
Kamigyō-kuWikipedia: Emperor Meiji - 1945
Gerd Müller, German footballer and manager (died 2021)
NördlingenWikipedia: Gerd Müller - 39
Lucan, Roman poet (died 65)
CordubaWikipedia: Lucan - 1882
Yakub Kolas, Belarusian writer (died 1956)
AkinchytsyWikipedia: Yakub Kolas - 1604
Osman II, Ottoman sultan (died 1622)
IstanbulWikipedia: Osman II - 1901
Leopold III of Belgium (died 1983)
Palace of the Marquess of AsscheWikipedia: Leopold III of Belgium - 1912
Alfredo Stroessner, Paraguayan general and politician, 46th President of Paraguay (died 2006)
EncarnaciónWikipedia: Alfredo Stroessner - 1801
Vincenzo Bellini, Italian composer (died 1835)
CataniaWikipedia: Vincenzo Bellini - 1500
Benvenuto Cellini, Italian sculptor and painter (died 1571)
FlorenceWikipedia: Benvenuto Cellini - 1926
Valdas Adamkus, Lithuanian engineer and politician, 3rd President of Lithuania
- 1928
Osamu Tezuka, Japanese animator and producer (died 1989)
ToyonakaWikipedia: Osamu Tezuka - 1931
Monica Vitti, Italian actress, singer, and screenwriter (died 2022)
- 1908
Giovanni Leone, Italian lawyer and politician, 6th President of Italy (died 2001)
- 1962
Gabe Newell, American businessman, co-founded Valve
- 1971
Unai Emery, Spanish football manager and former player
HondarribiaWikipedia: Unai Emery - 1969
Petteri Orpo, Finnish politician
KöyliöWikipedia: Petteri Orpo - 1979
Pablo Aimar, Argentinian footballer
Río CuartoWikipedia: Pablo Aimar - 1560
Annibale Carracci, Italian painter and illustrator (died 1609)
BolognaWikipedia: Annibale Carracci - 1948
Lulu, Scottish singer-songwriter and actress
GlasgowWikipedia: Lulu - 1971
Dwight Yorke, Tobagonian footballer and coach
Canaan, TobagoWikipedia: Dwight Yorke - 1900
Adolf Dassler, German businessman, founded Adidas (died 1978)
HerzogenaurachWikipedia: Adolf Dassler - 1981
Diego López, Spanish footballer
ParadelaWikipedia: Diego López - 1749
Daniel Rutherford, Scottish chemist and physician (died 1819)
EdinburghWikipedia: Daniel Rutherford - 1963
Ian Wright, English footballer, manager, and sportscaster
WoolwichWikipedia: Ian Wright - 1952
Jim Cummings, American voice actor
YoungstownWikipedia: Jim Cummings - 1887
Samuil Marshak, Russian author and poet (died 1964)
VoronezhWikipedia: Samuil Marshak - 1936
Roy Emerson, Australian-American tennis player and coach
BlackbuttWikipedia: Roy Emerson - 1960
Karch Kiraly, American volleyball player, coach, and sportscaster
JacksonWikipedia: Karch Kiraly - 1967
Steven Wilson, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
Kingston upon ThamesWikipedia: Steven Wilson - 1794
William Cullen Bryant, American poet and journalist (died 1878)
CummingtonWikipedia: William Cullen Bryant - 1969
Robert Miles, Swiss-Italian DJ and producer (died 2017)
FleurierWikipedia: Robert Miles - 1947
Mazie Hirono, Japanese-American lawyer and politician, U.S. Senator from Hawaii
- 1927
Odvar Nordli, Norwegian politician, 21st Prime Minister of Norway (died 2018)
Stange MunicipalityWikipedia: Odvar Nordli - 1857
Mikhail Alekseyev, Russian general (died 1918)
- 1976
Guillermo Franco, Argentinian-Mexican footballer
CorrientesWikipedia: Guillermo Franco - 1949
Larry Holmes, American boxer and talk show host
CuthbertWikipedia: Larry Holmes - 1903
Walker Evans, American photographer and journalist (died 1975)
St. LouisWikipedia: Walker Evans - 1877
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, Chilean general and politician, 20th President of Chile (died 1960)
- 1910
Karel Zeman, Czech director, animator, production designer, and screenwriter (died 1989)
OstroměřWikipedia: Karel Zeman - 1956
Gary Ross, American director, producer, and screenwriter
Los AngelesWikipedia: Gary Ross - 1962
Jacqui Smith, English lawyer and politician
MalvernWikipedia: Jacqui Smith - 1970
Jeanette J. Epps, American aerospace engineer and astronaut
SyracuseWikipedia: Jeanette Epps - 1971
Dylan Moran, Irish actor, comedian, and screenwriter
- 1973
Mick Thomson, American guitarist
Des MoinesWikipedia: Mick Thomson - 1987
Courtney Barnett, Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Northern BeachesWikipedia: Courtney Barnett - 1587
Samuel Scheidt, German organist, composer, and educator (died 1654)
Halle (Saale)Wikipedia: Samuel Scheidt - 1777
Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom (died 1848)
Buckingham PalaceWikipedia: Princess Sophia of the United Kingdom - 1930
Lois Smith, American actress
TopekaWikipedia: Lois Smith - 1981
Rodrigo Millar, Chilean footballer
- 1990
Ellyse Perry, Australian footballer and cricketer
WahroongaWikipedia: Ellyse Perry - 1932
Albert Reynolds, Irish businessman and politician, 9th Taoiseach of Ireland (died 2014)
- 1978
Tim McIlrath, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
IndianapolisWikipedia: Tim McIlrath - 1793
Stephen F. Austin, American businessman and politician (died 1836)
Wythe CountyWikipedia: Stephen F. Austin - 1845
Edward Douglass White, American lawyer, jurist, and politician, 9th Chief Justice of the United States (died 1921)
Lafourche ParishWikipedia: Edward Douglass White - 1930
Tsutomu Seki, Japanese astronomer and academic
Kōchi-shiWikipedia: Tsutomu Seki - 1945
Nick Simper, English bass guitarist
Norwood GreenWikipedia: Nick Simper - 1961
David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, English businessman
Clarence HouseWikipedia: David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon
What is celebrated on 3 November
- Christian feast day: Acepsimas of Hnaita and companions (Greek Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Alpaïs of Cudot
- Christian feast day: Elias I of Antioch (Syriac Orthodox Church)
- Christian feast day: Ermengol (Hermengaudius)
- Christian feast day: Gaudiosus of Tarazona
- Christian feast day: Gwenhael
- Christian feast day: Hubertus
- Christian feast day: Libertine
- Christian feast day: Malachy O' More
- Christian feast day: Blessed Manuel Lozano Garrido
- Christian feast day: Martin de Porres
- Christian feast day: Papulus
- Christian feast day: Pirmin
- Christian feast day: Richard Hooker (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.