A day on the globeROENES中文
The Earth on 6 November, with the rays of the day’s events
  1. A birthday on the globe

    6 November on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born

    For 6 November, the English Wikipedia lists 32 events and 106 births. 24 of the events stand at their places as rays of light. The taller the ray, the longer ago it happened. The people born that day come further down, as blue points.

    A birthday, yours or someone else’s:

  2. The Earth on 6 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 6 November the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 16.0° south. In London, the day lasts about 9 hours 25 minutes.

    Beyond 74° south the Sun no longer sets; beyond 74° 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.

  3. 6 November

    Asia#

    Five events from the day’s list are placed here, between 447 and 2016.

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

  4. Asia · Palwal district

    1976

    Uttawar forced sterilisations: Mass vasectomy of nearly 800 men of Uttawar village, Palwal district, Haryana during India's Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.

    On the map: Palwal district.

    Wikipedia: Uttawar forced sterilisations

  5. 6 November

    North America#

    Seven events from the day’s list are placed here, between 1863 and 2025.

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

  6. North America · B Reactor

    1944

    The B Reactor at the Hanford Site in the U.S. state of Washington began producing plutonium, with the facility later going on to create more for nearly the entire American nuclear arsenal.

    On the map: B Reactor.

    Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Chinese.

    Wikipedia: B Reactor

  7. North America · Baltimore

    1995

    Cleveland Browns relocation controversy: Art Modell announces that he signed a deal that would relocate the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

    On the map: Baltimore.

    Wikipedia: Cleveland Browns relocation controversy

  8. 6 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.

  9. From Wikipedia in Spanish · Congress of Chilpancingo

    1813

    At the Congress of Chilpancingo (Mexico), the priest José María Morelos formally declares independence from Spanish rule with the promulgation of the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America.

    On the map: Congress of Chilpancingo.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.

    The article on Wikipedia in Spanish: Congreso de Anáhuac

  10. From Wikipedia in Spanish · Glasgow

    1887

    In Glasgow (Scotland), Celtic Football Club is founded.

    On the map: Glasgow.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.

    The article on Wikipedia in Spanish: Glasgow

  11. From Wikipedia in Spanish · United States Congress

    1934

    The Democratic Party, led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, wins the elections to the United States Congress.

    On the map: United States Congress.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Spanish.

    The article on Wikipedia in Spanish: Congreso de los Estados Unidos

  12. From Wikipedia in Romanian · New York City

    2001

    Michael Bloomberg is elected mayor of New York.

    On the map: New York City.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Romanian.

    The article on Wikipedia in Romanian: Michael Bloomberg

  13. 6 November

    Born on 6 November#

    The English Wikipedia lists 106 births for this day. The blue points are the birthplaces of 59 of these people: those written about in the most Wikipedia editions, where Wikidata gives a place of birth.

  14. Born on 6 November

    1988

    Emma Stone, American actress

    Place of birth: Scottsdale.

    Wikipedia: Emma Stone

  15. Born on 6 November

    1946

    Sally Field, American actress

    Place of birth: Pasadena.

    Wikipedia: Sally Field

  16. Born on 6 November

    1988

    Conchita Wurst, Austrian singer

    Place of birth: Gmunden.

    Wikipedia: Conchita Wurst

  17. Born on 6 November

    1932

    François Englert, Belgian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2026)

    Place of birth: Etterbeek.

    Wikipedia: François Englert

  18. Born on 6 November

    1987

    Ana Ivanovic, Serbian tennis player

    Place of birth: Belgrade.

    Wikipedia: Ana Ivanovic

  19. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1997

    Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, English actor and model

    Place of birth: London.

    Wikipedia: Hero Fiennes Tiffin

  20. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1940

    Johnny Giles, Irish footballer and manager

    Place of birth: Dublin.

    Wikipedia: Johnny Giles

  21. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1946

    George Young, Scottish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 2017)

    Place of birth: Glasgow.

    Wikipedia: George Young

  22. 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 6 November

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

  1. 447

    A powerful earthquake destroys large portions of the Walls of Constantinople, including 57 towers.

    Asia · Walls of ConstantinopleWikipedia: Walls of Constantinople
  2. 963

    Synod of Rome: Emperor Otto I calls a council at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Pope John XII is deposed on charges of an armed rebellion against Otto.

    Europe · RomeWikipedia: Synod of Rome
  3. 1217

    The Charter of the Forest is sealed at St Paul's Cathedral, London by King Henry III, acting under the regency of William Marshall, 1st Earl of Pembroke which re-establishes for free men rights of access to the royal forest that had been eroded by William the Conqueror and his heirs.

    Britain & Ireland · St Paul's CathedralWikipedia: Charter of the Forest
  4. 1792

    Battle of Jemappes in the French Revolutionary Wars.

    Europe · Battle of JemappesWikipedia: Battle of Jemappes
  5. 1794

    French Revolutionary Wars: Two British ships were intercepted by a French squadron, leading to the French seizure of HMS Alexander.

    Oceans · Action of 6 November 1794Wikipedia: Action of 6 November 1794
  6. 1856

    The first story from the collection Scenes of Clerical Life by the English author George Eliot was submitted for publication.

  7. 1860

    Abraham Lincoln is elected the 16th president of the United States with only 40% of the popular vote, defeating John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglas in a four-way race.

  8. 1863

    American Civil War: A Union brigade defeated a Confederate force at the Battle of Droop Mountain in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.

    North America · Battle of Droop MountainWikipedia: American Civil War
  9. 1868

    Red Cloud, a Native American leader of the Oglala Lakota tribe, signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie, ending Red Cloud's War and establishing the Great Sioux Reservation.

  10. 1869

    In New Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers College defeats Princeton University (then known as the College of New Jersey), 6–4, in the first official intercollegiate American football game.

    North America · New Brunswick, New JerseyWikipedia: 1869 college football season
  11. 1900

    President William McKinley is re-elected, along with his vice-presidential running mate, Governor Theodore Roosevelt of New York.

  12. 1917

    First World War: Canadian forces captured Passendale, Belgium, after three months of fighting against the Germans at the Battle of Passchendaele.

    Europe · PassendaleWikipedia: World War I
  13. 1924

    The Spanish anarchist group Los Solidarios unsuccessfully attempted to launch an insurrection against the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Los Solidarios
  14. 1936

    Spanish Civil War: The republican government flees from Madrid to Valencia, leading to the formation of the Madrid Defense Council in its stead.

    Europe · Siege of MadridWikipedia: Spanish Civil War
  15. 1939

    As part of their plan to eradicate the Polish intellectual elite, the Gestapo arrested 184 professors, students and employees of the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.

    Europe · KrakówWikipedia: Intelligenzaktion
  16. 1943

    World War II: The 1st Ukrainian Front liberates Kyiv from German occupation.

    Europe · Battle of KievWikipedia: Battle of Kiev
  17. 1944

    The B Reactor at the Hanford Site in the U.S. state of Washington began producing plutonium, with the facility later going on to create more for nearly the entire American nuclear arsenal.

    North America · B ReactorWikipedia: B Reactor
  18. 1947

    Meet the Press, the longest running television program in history, makes its debut on NBC Television.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Meet the Press
  19. 1963

    Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ is appointed to head the South Vietnamese government by General Dương Văn Minh's junta, five days after the latter deposed and assassinated President Ngô Đình Diệm.

    Asia · 1963 South Vietnamese coup d'étatWikipedia: 1963 South Vietnamese coup d'état
  20. 1971

    The United States Atomic Energy Commission tests the largest U.S. underground hydrogen bomb, code-named Cannikin, on Amchitka Island in the Aleutians.

    North America · CannikinWikipedia: United States Atomic Energy Commission
  21. 1976

    Uttawar forced sterilisations: Mass vasectomy of nearly 800 men of Uttawar village, Palwal district, Haryana during India's Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.

    Asia · Palwal districtWikipedia: Uttawar forced sterilisations
  22. 1977

    The Kelly Barnes Dam, located above Toccoa Falls College near Toccoa, Georgia, fails, killing 39.

    North America · Kelly Barnes DamWikipedia: Kelly Barnes Dam
  23. 1985

    Colombian conflict: leftist guerrillas of the 19th of April Movement seize control of the Palace of Justice in Bogotá.

    Latin America · BogotáWikipedia: Palace of Justice siege
  24. 1986

    Sumburgh disaster: A British International Helicopters Boeing 234LR Chinook crashes 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Sumburgh Airport killing 45 people. It is the deadliest civilian helicopter crash on record.

    Britain & Ireland · 1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crashWikipedia: 1986 British International Helicopters Chinook crash
  25. 1988

    Lancang–Gengma earthquakes: At least 730 are killed after two powerful earthquakes rock the China–Myanmar border in Yunnan Province.

    Asia · 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakesWikipedia: 1988 Lancang–Gengma earthquakes
  26. 1995

    Cleveland Browns relocation controversy: Art Modell announces that he signed a deal that would relocate the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

    North America · BaltimoreWikipedia: Cleveland Browns relocation controversy
  27. 2002

    A Fokker 50 crashes near Luxembourg Airport, killing 20 and injuring three.

    Europe · Luxair Flight 9642Wikipedia: Luxair Flight 9642
  28. 2002

    Jiang Lijun is detained by Chinese police for signing the Open Letter to the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Jiang Lijun
  29. 2004

    An express train collides with a stationary car near the village of Ufton Nervet, England, killing seven and injuring 120.

    Britain & Ireland · Ufton NervetWikipedia: Ufton Nervet rail crash
  30. 2012

    Tammy Baldwin becomes the first openly gay politician to be elected to the United States Senate.

  31. 2016

    Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces launch an offensive to capture the ISIL-held city of Raqqa.

    Asia · Raqqa campaignWikipedia: Raqqa campaign
  32. 2025

    Canadian ostrich cull: The Government of Canada kills 314 ostriches after H5N8 is detected in an ostrich farm in Edgewood, BC.

    North America · Edgewood, British ColumbiaWikipedia: 2025 Canadian ostrich culling controversy

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.

  1. 1813

    At the Congress of Chilpancingo (Mexico), the priest José María Morelos formally declares independence from Spanish rule with the promulgation of the Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America.

    Latin America · Congress of ChilpancingoTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in SpanishWikipedia: Congreso de Anáhuac
  2. 1887

    In Glasgow (Scotland), Celtic Football Club is founded.

    Britain & Ireland · GlasgowTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in SpanishWikipedia: Glasgow
  3. 1934

    The Democratic Party, led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, wins the elections to the United States Congress.

    North America · United States CongressTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in SpanishWikipedia: Congreso de los Estados Unidos
  4. 2001

    Michael Bloomberg is elected mayor of New York.

    North America · New York CityTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in RomanianWikipedia: Michael Bloomberg

Who was born on 6 November

In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 106 are shown.

  1. 1494

    Suleiman the Magnificent, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (died 1566)

    TrabzonWikipedia: Suleiman the Magnificent
  2. 1988

    Emma Stone, American actress

    ScottsdaleWikipedia: Emma Stone
  3. 1946

    Sally Field, American actress

    PasadenaWikipedia: Sally Field
  4. 1988

    Conchita Wurst, Austrian singer

    GmundenWikipedia: Conchita Wurst
  5. 1661

    Charles II of Spain, last Habsburg ruler of the Spanish Empire (died 1700)

    MadridWikipedia: Charles II of Spain
  6. 1932

    François Englert, Belgian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2026)

    EtterbeekWikipedia: François Englert
  7. 1987

    Ana Ivanovic, Serbian tennis player

    BelgradeWikipedia: Ana Ivanovic
  8. 1990

    André Schürrle, German footballer

    LudwigshafenWikipedia: André Schürrle
  9. 1972

    Rebecca Romijn, American model and actress

    BerkeleyWikipedia: Rebecca Romijn
  10. 1814

    Adolphe Sax, Belgian-French instrument designer, invented the saxophone (died 1894)

    DinantWikipedia: Adolphe Sax
  11. 1931

    Mike Nichols, German-born American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2014)

    BerlinWikipedia: Mike Nichols
  12. 1861

    James Naismith, Canadian-American physician and educator, invented basketball (died 1939)

    AlmonteWikipedia: James Naismith
  13. 1948

    Glenn Frey, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (died 2016)

    DetroitWikipedia: Glenn Frey
  14. 1854

    John Philip Sousa, American composer and bandleader (died 1932)

    Washington, D.C.Wikipedia: John Philip Sousa
  15. 1952

    Michael Cunningham, American novelist and screenwriter

    CincinnatiWikipedia: Michael Cunningham
  16. 1989

    Jozy Altidore, American soccer player

    LivingstonWikipedia: Jozy Altidore
  17. 1968

    Jerry Yang, Taiwanese-American engineer and businessman, co-founded Yahoo!

    TaipeiWikipedia: Jerry Yang
  18. 1979

    Lamar Odom, American basketball player

    QueensWikipedia: Lamar Odom
  19. 1926

    Zig Ziglar, American soldier, businessman, and author (died 2012)

    Coffee CountyWikipedia: Zig Ziglar
  20. 1997

    Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, English actor and model

    LondonWikipedia: Hero Fiennes Tiffin
  21. 1955

    Maria Shriver, American journalist and author

    ChicagoWikipedia: Maria Shriver
  22. 1968

    Kelly Rutherford, American actress

    ElizabethtownWikipedia: Kelly Rutherford
  23. 1949

    Ariel Henry, Haitian prime-minister, neurosurgeon, and politician

    Port-au-PrinceWikipedia: Ariel Henry
  24. 1992

    Stefan Ortega, German footballer

    HofgeismarWikipedia: Stefan Ortega
  25. 1966

    Paul Gilbert, American guitarist

    CarbondaleWikipedia: Paul Gilbert
  26. 1851

    Charles Dow, American journalist and economist (died 1902)

    SterlingWikipedia: Charles Dow
  27. 1967

    Rebecca Schaeffer, American actress and model (died 1989)

    EugeneWikipedia: Rebecca Schaeffer
  28. 1971

    Laura Flessel-Colovic, French fencer and politician

    Pointe-à-PitreWikipedia: Laura Flessel-Colovic
  29. 1983

    Nicole Hosp, Austrian skier

    EhenbichlWikipedia: Nicole Hosp
  30. 1550

    Karin Månsdotter, Swedish queen (died 1612)

    UpplandWikipedia: Karin Månsdotter
  31. 1940

    Johnny Giles, Irish footballer and manager

    DublinWikipedia: Johnny Giles
  32. 1981

    Kaspars Gorkšs, Latvian footballer

    RigaWikipedia: Kaspars Gorkšs
  33. 1974

    Frank Vandenbroucke, Belgian cyclist (died 2009)

    MouscronWikipedia: Frank Vandenbroucke
  34. 1990

    Bowen Yang, Australian-born American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer

    BrisbaneWikipedia: Bowen Yang
  35. 1946

    George Young, Scottish guitarist, songwriter, and producer (died 2017)

    GlasgowWikipedia: George Young
  36. 1997

    Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Romanian tennis player

    BucharestWikipedia: Elena-Gabriela Ruse
  37. 1989

    Aaron Hernandez, American football player (died 2017)

    BristolWikipedia: Aaron Hernandez
  38. 1941

    Guy Clark, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (died 2016)

    MonahansWikipedia: Guy Clark
  39. 1995

    Sam Reinhart, Canadian ice hockey player

    North VancouverWikipedia: Sam Reinhart
  40. 1887

    Walter Johnson, American baseball player and manager (died 1946)

    HumboldtWikipedia: Walter Johnson
  41. 1841

    Nelson W. Aldrich, American businessman and politician (died 1915)

    FosterWikipedia: Nelson W. Aldrich
  42. 1985

    Sun Yue, Chinese basketball player

    CangzhouWikipedia: Sun Yue
  43. 1997

    Aliona Bolsova, Spanish-Moldovan tennis player

    ChișinăuWikipedia: Aliona Bolsova
  44. 1479

    Philip I, Margrave of Baden (died 1533)

  45. 1880

    Yoshisuke Aikawa, Japanese businessman and politician, founded Nissan Motor Company (died 1967)

    ŌuchiWikipedia: Yoshisuke Aikawa
  46. 1963

    Rozz Williams, American singer, musician and artist (died 1998)

    PomonaWikipedia: Rozz Williams
  47. 1967

    Shuzo Matsuoka, Japanese tennis player and sportscaster

    TokyoWikipedia: Shuzo Matsuoka
  48. 1992

    Paula Kania-Choduń, Polish tennis player

    SosnowiecWikipedia: Paula Kania-Choduń
  49. 1978

    Erik Cole, American ice hockey player

    OswegoWikipedia: Erik Cole
  50. 1391

    Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, English politician (died 1425)

  51. 1962

    Nadezhda Kuzhelnaya, Russian pilot and former cosmonaut

    AlexeyevskoyeWikipedia: Nadezhda Kuzhelnaya
  52. 1979

    Brad Stuart, Canadian ice hockey player

    Rocky Mountain HouseWikipedia: Brad Stuart
  53. 1988

    John Holland, Puerto Rican-American basketball player

    The BronxWikipedia: John Holland
  54. 2001

    Day'Ron Sharpe, American basketball player

    GreenvilleWikipedia: Day'Ron Sharpe
  55. 1832

    Joseph Smith III, American religious leader (died 1914)

    KirtlandWikipedia: Joseph Smith III
  56. 1913

    Cho Ki-chon, North Korean poet (died 1951)

    UssuriyskWikipedia: Cho Ki-chon
  57. 1941

    Doug Sahm, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 1999)

    San AntonioWikipedia: Doug Sahm
  58. 1960

    Lance Kerwin, American actor (died 2023)

    Newport BeachWikipedia: Lance Kerwin
  59. 1981

    Luke Jackson, American basketball player and coach

    EugeneWikipedia: Luke Jackson
  60. 1986

    Conor Sammon, Irish footballer

    DublinWikipedia: Conor Sammon

What is celebrated on 6 November

  • Christian feast days: Barlaam of Khutyn
  • Christian feast days: Demetrian
  • Christian feast days: Illtud
  • Christian feast days: Leonard of Noblac
  • Christian feast days: Melaine of Rennes
  • Christian feast days: Winnoc
  • Christian feast days: November 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Gustavus Adolphus Day (in Sweden, Finland and Estonia)
  • Finnish Swedish Heritage Day (in Finland)
  • International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict
  • Obama Day (in Kenya)

A greeting link for someone

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

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

Download the day’s picture

All 366 days

How the globe is made

Where the events come from

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

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

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

How an event gets onto the map

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

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

What the height means

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

Where the tour stops

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

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

The Earth and the Sun

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

The day you were born

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

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

The day of birth, year included

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sources

More pages about birthdays