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

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

    For 6 October, the English Wikipedia lists 53 events and 235 births. 26 of the events stand at their places as rays of light; four 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:

  2. The Earth on 6 October

    The picture on the globe was assembled by NASA from satellite photographs taken in October 2004: the snow, the ice and the green are those of the month.

    On 6 October the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 5.1° south. In London, the day lasts about 11 hours 20 minutes.

    Beyond 85° south the Sun no longer sets; beyond 85° 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 October

    Europe#

    Nine events from the day’s list are placed here, between 105 BC and 1981.

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

  4. Europe · Palace of Versailles

    1789

    French Revolution: King Louis XVI is forced to change his residence from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace.

    On the map: Palace of Versailles.

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

    Wikipedia: French Revolution

  5. 6 October

    Asia#

    Six events from the day’s list are placed here, between 69 BC and 1976.

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

  6. Asia · Constantinople

    1923

    The Turkish National Movement enters Constantinople.

    On the map: Constantinople.

    Wikipedia: Turkish National Movement

  7. 6 October

    North America#

    Eight events from the day’s list are placed here, between 1539 and 1998.

    The globe stops at three of them; the whole list is further down. All eight

  8. North America · Anhaica

    1539

    Spain's DeSoto expedition takes over the Apalachee capital of Anhaica for their winter quarters.

    On the map: Anhaica.

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

    Wikipedia: Hernando de Soto

  9. North America · Germantown, Philadelphia

    1683

    Immigrant families found Germantown, Pennsylvania in the first major immigration of German people to America.

    On the map: Germantown, Philadelphia.

    Wikipedia: Germantown, Philadelphia

  10. North America · White House

    1979

    Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit the White House.

    On the map: White House.

    Also on the day’s list of Wikipedia in Spanish and Romanian.

    Wikipedia: White House

  11. 6 October

    What the other Wikipedias remember#

    For these years the English list has nothing on this day. The events below come from the same day’s lists on Wikipedia in Chinese and were translated for this page.

  12. From Wikipedia in Chinese · Cairo

    1993

    The Palestinian leader Arafat and the Israeli prime minister Rabin hold formal talks in Cairo.

    On the map: Cairo.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Chinese.

    The article on Wikipedia in Chinese: 以色列

  13. 6 October

    Born on 6 October#

    The English Wikipedia lists 235 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.

  14. Born on 6 October

    1887

    Le Corbusier, Swiss-French architect and painter, designed the Philips Pavilion and Saint-Pierre, Firminy (died 1965)

    Place of birth: La Chaux-de-Fonds.

    Wikipedia: Le Corbusier

  15. Born on 6 October

    1914

    Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (died 2002)

    Place of birth: Larvik.

    Wikipedia: Thor Heyerdahl

  16. Born on 6 October

    1903

    Ernest Walton, Irish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1995)

    Place of birth: Abbeyside.

    Wikipedia: Ernest Walton

  17. Born on 6 October

    1931

    Riccardo Giacconi, Italian-American astrophysicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2018)

    Place of birth: Genoa.

    Wikipedia: Riccardo Giacconi

  18. Born on 6 October

    1831

    Richard Dedekind, German mathematician and philosopher (died 1916)

    Place of birth: Brunswick.

    Wikipedia: Richard Dedekind

  19. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1971

    Emily Mortimer, English actress

    Place of birth: Finsbury Park.

    Wikipedia: Emily Mortimer

  20. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1973

    Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor

    Place of birth: Cardiff.

    Wikipedia: Ioan Gruffudd

  21. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1966

    Niall Quinn, Irish footballer and manager

    Place of birth: Dublin.

    Wikipedia: Niall Quinn

  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 October

The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 23 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. 105 BC

    Cimbrian War: Defeat at the Battle of Arausio of the Roman army of the mid-Republic.

    Europe · Battle of ArausioWikipedia: Battle of Arausio
  2. 69 BC

    Third Mithridatic War: The military of the Roman Republic subdues Armenia.

    Asia · Battle of TigranocertaWikipedia: Battle of Tigranocerta
  3. 23

    Rebels decapitate Wang Mang, only Emperor of the Xin Dynasty, after his capital was sacked during a peasant rebellion.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Wang Mang
  4. 404

    Byzantine Empress Eudoxia dies from the miscarriage of her seventh pregnancy.

    Asia · Byzantine EmpireWikipedia: Byzantine Empire
  5. 618

    Transition from Sui to Tang: Wang Shichong decisively defeats Li Mi at the Battle of Yanshi.

    Asia · Battle of YanshiWikipedia: Battle of Yanshi
  6. 891

    Election of Pope Formosus following the death of pope Stephen V in the previous month.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Pope Formosus
  7. 1539

    Spain's DeSoto expedition takes over the Apalachee capital of Anhaica for their winter quarters.

    North America · AnhaicaWikipedia: Hernando de Soto
  8. 1600

    Euridice, the earliest surviving opera, receives its première performance, beginning the Baroque period.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Baroque
  9. 1620

    The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth suffers a defeat against the Ottoman Empire in the battle of Cecora after a heroic defense over several days and the death of their commander Hetman Stanisław Żółkiewski.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Battle of Cecora
  10. 1683

    Immigrant families found Germantown, Pennsylvania in the first major immigration of German people to America.

    North America · Germantown, PhiladelphiaWikipedia: Germantown, Philadelphia
  11. 1762

    Seven Years' War: The British capture Manila from Spain and occupy it.

    Asia · Battle of ManilaWikipedia: Seven Years' War
  12. 1777

    American Revolutionary War: British forces capture Forts Clinton and Montgomery on the Hudson River.

    North America · Battle of Forts Clinton and MontgomeryWikipedia: Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery
  13. 1789

    French Revolution: King Louis XVI is forced to change his residence from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace.

    Europe · Palace of VersaillesWikipedia: French Revolution
  14. 1810

    A large fire destroys a third of all the buildings in the town of Raahe in the Grand Duchy of Finland.

    Europe · RaaheWikipedia: Raahe
  15. 1849

    The execution of the 13 Martyrs of Arad after the Hungarian war of independence.

  16. 1854

    In England the great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead leads to 53 deaths and hundreds injured.

    Britain & Ireland · Great fire of Newcastle and GatesheadWikipedia: Great fire of Newcastle and Gateshead
  17. 1884

    The Naval War College of the United States is founded in Rhode Island.

    North America · Naval War CollegeWikipedia: Naval War College
  18. 1898

    Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the largest American music fraternity, is founded at the New England Conservatory of Music.

    North America · New England Conservatory of MusicWikipedia: Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
  19. 1903

    The High Court of Australia sits for the first time.

  20. 1908

    The Bosnian crisis erupts when Austria-Hungary formally annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Bosnian Crisis
  21. 1910

    Eleftherios Venizelos is elected Prime Minister of Greece for the first of seven times.

  22. 1915

    World War I: Combined Austro-Hungarian and German Central Powers, reinforced by the recently joined Bulgaria, launch a new offensive against Serbia under command of August von Mackensen.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: World War I
  23. 1915

    World War I: Entente forces land in Thessaloniki, to open the Macedonian front against the Central Powers.

    Europe · ThessalonikiWikipedia: Macedonian front
  24. 1920

    Ukrainian War of Independence: The Starobilsk agreement is signed by representatives of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Makhnovshchina.

  25. 1923

    The Turkish National Movement enters Constantinople.

    Asia · ConstantinopleWikipedia: Turkish National Movement
  26. 1927

    Opening of The Jazz Singer, the first prominent "talkie" movie.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: The Jazz Singer
  27. 1934

    Revolution of 1934: The President of the autonomous government of Catalonia, Lluís Companys, proclaims the Catalan State with the support of the Worker's Alliance.

    Europe · CataloniaWikipedia: Events of 6 October
  28. 1939

    World War II: The Battle of Kock is the final combat of the September Campaign in Poland.

    Europe · Battle of KockWikipedia: World War II
  29. 1942

    World War II: American troops force the Japanese from their positions east of the Matanikau River during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

    Oceania · Actions along the MatanikauWikipedia: Actions along the Matanikau
  30. 1943

    World War II: Thirteen civilians are burnt alive by a paramilitary group in Crete during the Nazi occupation of Greece.

    Europe · Burnings of Kali SykiaWikipedia: Burnings of Kali Sykia
  31. 1944

    World War II: Units of the 1st Czechoslovak Army Corps enter Czechoslovakia during the Battle of the Dukla Pass.

    Europe · Battle of the Dukla PassWikipedia: Battle of the Dukla Pass
  32. 1973

    Egypt and Syria launch coordinated attacks against Israel, beginning the Yom Kippur War.

    Africa · Sinai PeninsulaWikipedia: Operation Badr
  33. 1976

    Cubana de Aviación Flight 455 is destroyed by two bombs, placed on board by an anti-Castro militant group.

    Latin America · Cubana de Aviación Flight 455Wikipedia: Cubana de Aviación Flight 455
  34. 1976

    Dozens are killed by Thai police and right-wing paramilitaries in the Thammasat University massacre; afterwards, the Seni Pramoj government is toppled in a military coup led by Sangad Chaloryu.

    Asia · 6 October 1976 massacreWikipedia: 6 October 1976 massacre
  35. 1976

    Premier Hua Guofeng arrests the Gang of Four, ending the Cultural Revolution in China.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Hua Guofeng
  36. 1977

    The first prototype of the Mikoyan MiG-29, designated 9-01, makes its maiden flight.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Mikoyan MiG-29
  37. 1979

    Pope John Paul II becomes the first pontiff to visit the White House.

    North America · White HouseWikipedia: White House
  38. 1981

    Egyptian President Anwar Sadat is murdered by Islamic extremists.

    Africa · Assassination of Anwar SadatWikipedia: Assassination of Anwar Sadat
  39. 1981

    NLM CityHopper Flight 431 crashes in Moerdijk after taking off from Rotterdam The Hague Airport in the Netherlands, killing all 17 people on board.

    Europe · NLM CityHopper Flight 431Wikipedia: NLM CityHopper Flight 431
  40. 1985

    Police constable Keith Blakelock is murdered as riots erupt in the Broadwater Farm suburb of London.

  41. 1987

    Fiji becomes a republic.

    Oceania · FijiWikipedia: Fiji
  42. 1989

    About 200 members of the San Francisco Police Department instigated a police riot in the Castro following a peaceful protest held by the political group ACT UP.

    North America · The CastroWikipedia: Castro Sweep
  43. 1990

    Space Shuttle Discovery is launched on STS-41, and deploys the Ulysses space probe to study the Sun's polar regions.

  44. 1995

    The first planet orbiting another sun, 51 Pegasi b, is discovered.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: 51 Pegasi b
  45. 1998

    Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was attacked and fatally wounded near Laramie, Wyoming, U.S., dying six days later.

    North America · Laramie, WyomingWikipedia: Matthew Shepard
  46. 2000

    Denouncing corruption in Argentine president Fernando de la Rúa's administration and the Senate, Vice President Carlos Álvarez resigned.

  47. 2002

    Al-Qaeda bombed the oil tanker Limburg, causing oil to leak into the Gulf of Aden.

    Africa · Gulf of AdenWikipedia: Al-Qaeda
  48. 2007

    Jason Lewis completes the first human-powered circumnavigation of the Earth.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Jason Lewis
  49. 2008

    The MESSENGER probe discovered Mercury's Rembrandt – the second largest impact crater on the planet.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: MESSENGER
  50. 2010

    Instagram, a mainstream photo-sharing application, is founded.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Instagram
  51. 2018

    The United States Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court Associate Justice, ending a contentious confirmation process.

  52. 2022

    Annie Ernaux is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

  53. 2025

    The 2025 Alberta teachers' strike begins, leaving approximately 51,000 teachers off-work, impacting about 730,000 Albertan students.

What the other Wikipedias remember

For these years the English list has nothing on this day. The events below come from the same day’s lists on Wikipedia in Chinese and were translated for this page.

  1. 1993

    The Palestinian leader Arafat and the Israeli prime minister Rabin hold formal talks in Cairo.

    Africa · CairoTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in ChineseWikipedia: 以色列

Who was born on 6 October

In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 235 are shown.

  1. 1887

    Le Corbusier, Swiss-French architect and painter, designed the Philips Pavilion and Saint-Pierre, Firminy (died 1965)

    La Chaux-de-FondsWikipedia: Le Corbusier
  2. 1930

    Hafez al-Assad, Syrian general and politician, 20th President of Syria (died 2000)

    QardahaWikipedia: Hafez al-Assad
  3. 1914

    Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian ethnographer and explorer (died 2002)

    LarvikWikipedia: Thor Heyerdahl
  4. 1773

    Louis Philippe I of France (died 1850)

    ParisWikipedia: Louis Philippe I
  5. 1903

    Ernest Walton, Irish physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1995)

    AbbeysideWikipedia: Ernest Walton
  6. 1931

    Riccardo Giacconi, Italian-American astrophysicist and astronomer, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2018)

    GenoaWikipedia: Riccardo Giacconi
  7. 1831

    Richard Dedekind, German mathematician and philosopher (died 1916)

    BrunswickWikipedia: Richard Dedekind
  8. 1906

    Janet Gaynor, American actress (died 1984)

    PhiladelphiaWikipedia: Janet Gaynor
  9. 1963

    Elisabeth Shue, American actress

    WilmingtonWikipedia: Elisabeth Shue
  10. 1552

    Matteo Ricci, Italian priest and missionary (died 1610)

    MacerataWikipedia: Matteo Ricci
  11. 1908

    Carole Lombard, American actress (died 1942)

    Fort WayneWikipedia: Carole Lombard
  12. 1820

    Jenny Lind, Swedish soprano and actress (died 1887)

    Klara Church ParishWikipedia: Jenny Lind
  13. 1846

    George Westinghouse, American engineer and businessman, founded the Westinghouse Air Brake Company (died 1914)

    Central BridgeWikipedia: George Westinghouse
  14. 1982

    Levon Aronian, Armenian chess grandmaster

    YerevanWikipedia: Levon Aronian
  15. 1978

    Liu Yang, Chinese astronaut

    ZhengzhouWikipedia: Liu Yang
  16. 1923

    Yaşar Kemal, Turkish journalist and author (died 2015)

    GökçedamWikipedia: Yaşar Kemal
  17. 1972

    Mark Schwarzer, Australian footballer

    SydneyWikipedia: Mark Schwarzer
  18. 1965

    Jürgen Kohler, German footballer and manager

    LambsheimWikipedia: Jürgen Kohler
  19. 1888

    Roland Garros, French soldier and pilot (died 1918)

    Saint-DenisWikipedia: Roland Garros
  20. 1942

    Britt Ekland, Swedish actress and singer

    StockholmWikipedia: Britt Ekland
  21. 1948

    Gerry Adams, Irish republican politician

    BelfastWikipedia: Gerry Adams
  22. 1962

    David Baker, American biologist and academic

    SeattleWikipedia: David Baker
  23. 1997

    Kasper Dolberg, Danish footballer

    SilkeborgWikipedia: Kasper Dolberg
  24. 1289

    Wenceslaus III of Bohemia (died 1306)

  25. 1882

    Karol Szymanowski, Polish pianist and composer (died 1937)

    TymoshivkaWikipedia: Karol Szymanowski
  26. 1893

    Meghnad Saha, Indian astrophysicist, astronomer, and academic (died 1956)

    DhakaWikipedia: Meghnad Saha
  27. 1971

    Emily Mortimer, English actress

    Finsbury ParkWikipedia: Emily Mortimer
  28. 1946

    Vinod Khanna, Indian actor, producer and politician (died 2017)

    PeshawarWikipedia: Vinod Khanna
  29. 1950

    David Brin, American physicist and author

    GlendaleWikipedia: David Brin
  30. 1969

    Muhammad V of Kelantan, Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia

    Kota BharuWikipedia: Muhammad V of Kelantan
  31. 2000

    Addison Rae, American social media personality, dancer, and singer

    LafayetteWikipedia: Addison Rae
  32. 1931

    Nikolai Chernykh, Russian astronomer (died 2004)

    UsmanWikipedia: Nikolai Chernykh
  33. 1459

    Martin Behaim, German navigator and geographer (died 1507)

    NurembergWikipedia: Martin Behaim
  34. 1973

    Ioan Gruffudd, Welsh actor

    CardiffWikipedia: Ioan Gruffudd
  35. 1767

    Henri Christophe, Grenadian-Haitian king (died 1820)

    Saint KittsWikipedia: Henri Christophe
  36. 1967

    Kennet Andersson, Swedish footballer

    EskilstunaWikipedia: Kennet Andersson
  37. 1905

    Helen Wills, American tennis player and painter (died 1998)

    FremontWikipedia: Helen Wills
  38. 1965

    Steve Scalise, American lawyer and politician

    New OrleansWikipedia: Steve Scalise
  39. 1738

    Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria (died 1789)

  40. 1866

    Reginald Fessenden, Canadian engineer and academic, invented radiotelephony (died 1932)

    Bolton-EstWikipedia: Reginald Fessenden
  41. 1913

    Méret Oppenheim, German-Swiss painter and photographer (died 1985)

    CharlottenburgWikipedia: Méret Oppenheim
  42. 1974

    Walter Centeno, Costa Rican footballer and manager

    PalmarWikipedia: Walter Centeno
  43. 1934

    Marshall Rosenberg, American psychologist and author (died 2015)

    CantonWikipedia: Marshall Rosenberg
  44. 1565

    Marie de Gournay, French writer (died 1645)

    ParisWikipedia: Marie de Gournay
  45. 1957

    Bruce Grobbelaar, Zimbabwean footballer and coach

    DurbanWikipedia: Bruce Grobbelaar
  46. 1966

    Niall Quinn, Irish footballer and manager

    DublinWikipedia: Niall Quinn
  47. 1978

    Ricky Hatton, English boxer and promoter (died 2025)

    StockportWikipedia: Ricky Hatton
  48. 1986

    Olivia Thirlby, American actress

    New York CityWikipedia: Olivia Thirlby
  49. 1989

    Pizzi, Portuguese footballer

    BragançaWikipedia: Pizzi
  50. 1908

    Sergei Sobolev, Russian mathematician and academic (died 1989)

    Saint PetersburgWikipedia: Sergei Sobolev
  51. 1917

    Fannie Lou Hamer, American activist and philanthropist (died 1977)

    Montgomery CountyWikipedia: Fannie Lou Hamer
  52. 1935

    Bruno Sammartino, Italian-American wrestler and trainer (died 2018)

    PizzoferratoWikipedia: Bruno Sammartino
  53. 1974

    Jeremy Sisto, American actor, producer, and screenwriter

    Grass ValleyWikipedia: Jeremy Sisto
  54. 1974

    Hoàng Xuân Vinh, Vietnamese shooter

    HanoiWikipedia: Hoàng Xuân Vinh
  55. 1996

    Kevin Diks, Indonesian footballer

    ApeldoornWikipedia: Kevin Diks
  56. 1944

    Carlos Pace, Brazilian race car driver (died 1977)

    São PauloWikipedia: Carlos Pace
  57. 1976

    Brett Gelman, American actor and comedian

    Highland ParkWikipedia: Brett Gelman
  58. 1981

    Zurab Khizanishvili, Georgian footballer

    TbilisiWikipedia: Zurab Khizanishvili
  59. 1947

    Klaus Dibiasi, Italian diver

    Hall in TirolWikipedia: Klaus Dibiasi
  60. 1948

    Glenn Branca, American guitarist and composer (died 2018)

    HarrisburgWikipedia: Glenn Branca

What is celebrated on 6 October

  • Christian feast day: Bruno of Cologne
  • Christian feast day: Faith
  • Christian feast day: Blessed Isidore De Loor
  • Christian feast day: Blessed Juan de Palafox y Mendoza
  • Christian feast day: Blessed Marie Rose Durocher
  • Christian feast day: Mary Frances of the Five Wounds
  • Christian feast day: Pardulphus
  • Christian feast day: Sagar of Laodicea
  • Christian feast day: October 6 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Christian feast day: William Tyndale (commemoration, Anglicanism), with Myles Coverdale (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • World Space Week (October 4–10)
  • Day of Commemoration and National Mourning (Turkmenistan)
  • Dukla Pass Victims Day (Slovakia)
  • German-American Day (United States)

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