A day on the globeROENES中文
The Earth on 9 June, with the rays of the day’s events
  1. A birthday on the globe

    9 June on the globe: what happened in the world on this day, and who was born

    For 9 June, the English Wikipedia lists 49 events and 231 births. 26 of the events stand at their places as rays of light; six 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 9 June

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

    On 9 June the Sun passes straight overhead at noon along the parallel of 23.0° north. In London, the day lasts about 16 hours 30 minutes.

    Beyond 67° north the Sun no longer sets; beyond 67° south 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. 9 June

    Europe#

    Nine events from the day’s list are placed here, between 68 and 1999.

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

  4. Europe · Siena Cathedral

    1311

    Duccio's Maestà, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, is unveiled and installed in Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy.

    On the map: Siena Cathedral.

    Wikipedia: Maestà

  5. Europe · Congress of Vienna

    1815

    End of the Congress of Vienna: The new European political situation is set.

    On the map: the coordinates Wikidata gives for the article “Congress of Vienna”.

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

    Wikipedia: Congress of Vienna

  6. Europe · Åland

    1922

    Åland's Regional Assembly convenes for its first plenary session in Mariehamn, Åland; today, the day is celebrated as Self-Government Day of Åland.

    On the map: Åland.

    Wikipedia: Åland's Autonomy Day

  7. 9 June

    North America#

    Nine events from the day’s list are placed here, between 1732 and 1972.

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

  8. North America · Hamilton, Ontario

    1846

    Hamilton, Ontario, was granted city status by the Parliament of the Province of Canada.

    On the map: Hamilton, Ontario.

    Wikipedia: Hamilton, Ontario

  9. North America · Iowa City, Iowa

    1856

    Five hundred Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa for the Mormon Trail.

    On the map: Iowa City, Iowa.

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

    Wikipedia: Mormon handcart pioneers

  10. 9 June

    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.

  11. From Wikipedia in Chinese · 2006 FIFA World Cup

    2006

    The 18th FIFA World Cup opens in Munich, Germany.

    On the map: 2006 FIFA World Cup.

    Translated from the list on Wikipedia in Chinese.

    The article on Wikipedia in Chinese: 2006年国际足联世界杯

  12. 9 June

    Born on 9 June#

    The English Wikipedia lists 231 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.

  13. Born on 9 June

    1963

    Johnny Depp, American actor

    Place of birth: Owensboro.

    Wikipedia: Johnny Depp

  14. Born on 9 June

    1981

    Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress

    Place of birth: Hadassah University Hospital, Mt. Scopus.

    Wikipedia: Natalie Portman

  15. Born on 9 June

    1843

    Bertha von Suttner, Austrian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1914)

    Place of birth: Prague.

    Wikipedia: Bertha von Suttner

  16. Born on 9 June

    1978

    Miroslav Klose, German footballer

    Place of birth: Opole.

    Wikipedia: Miroslav Klose

  17. Born on 9 June

    1961

    Michael J. Fox, Canadian-American actor, producer, and author

    Place of birth: Edmonton.

    Wikipedia: Michael J. Fox

  18. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1781

    George Stephenson, English engineer, designed the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (died 1848)

    Place of birth: Wylam.

    Wikipedia: George Stephenson

  19. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1875

    Henry Hallett Dale, English pharmacologist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1968)

    Place of birth: Islington.

    Wikipedia: Henry Hallett Dale

  20. Born in Britain and Ireland

    1941

    Jon Lord, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (died 2012)

    Place of birth: Leicester.

    Wikipedia: Jon Lord

  21. 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 9 June

The list is the English Wikipedia’s, in its own wording, as it stood in October 2026. 17 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. 411 BC

    The Athenian coup succeeds, forming a short-lived oligarchy.

  2. 53

    The Roman emperor Nero marries Claudia Octavia.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Roman emperor
  3. 68

    Nero dies by suicide after quoting Vergil's Aeneid, thus ending the Julio-Claudian dynasty and starting the civil war known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

    Europe · Year of the Four EmperorsWikipedia: Year of the Four Emperors
  4. 721

    Odo of Aquitaine defeats the Moors in the Battle of Toulouse.

    Europe · Battle of ToulouseWikipedia: Battle of Toulouse
  5. 747

    Abbasid Revolution: Abu Muslim Khorasani begins an open revolt against Umayyad rule, which is carried out under the sign of the Black Standard.

    Asia · Umayyad CaliphateWikipedia: Abbasid revolution
  6. 1311

    Duccio's Maestà, a seminal artwork of the early Italian Renaissance, is unveiled and installed in Siena Cathedral in Siena, Italy.

    Europe · Siena CathedralWikipedia: Maestà
  7. 1523

    The Parisian Faculty of Theology fines Simon de Colines for publishing the Biblical commentary Commentarii initiatorii in quatuor Evangelia by Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Simon de Colines
  8. 1534

    Jacques Cartier is the first European to describe and map the Saint Lawrence River.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Jacques Cartier
  9. 1549

    The first Book of Common Prayer was legally mandated by Parliament, introducing a fully vernacular Protestant liturgy to the Church of England.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Church of England
  10. 1732

    James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of the future U.S. state of Georgia.

    North America · GeorgiaWikipedia: James Oglethorpe
  11. 1772

    The British schooner Gaspee is burned in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Gaspee affair
  12. 1798

    Irish Rebellion of 1798: Battles of Arklow and Saintfield.

    Britain & Ireland · Battle of ArklowWikipedia: Battle of Arklow
  13. 1815

    End of the Congress of Vienna: The new European political situation is set.

    Europe · Congress of ViennaWikipedia: Congress of Vienna
  14. 1846

    Hamilton, Ontario, was granted city status by the Parliament of the Province of Canada.

    North America · Hamilton, OntarioWikipedia: Hamilton, Ontario
  15. 1856

    Five hundred Mormons leave Iowa City, Iowa for the Mormon Trail.

    North America · Iowa City, IowaWikipedia: Mormon handcart pioneers
  16. 1861

    The Beyoglu Protocol turns the district of Mount Lebanon into an autonomous region within the Ottoman Empire and grants the Christians more power over the Druze.

    Asia · Ottoman EmpireWikipedia: Règlement Organique
  17. 1862

    American Civil War: Stonewall Jackson concludes his successful Shenandoah Valley Campaign with a victory in the Battle of Port Republic.

    North America · Jackson's Valley campaignWikipedia: American Civil War
  18. 1863

    American Civil War: The Battle of Brandy Station in Virginia, the largest cavalry battle on American soil, ends Confederate cavalry dominance in the eastern theater.

    North America · Battle of Brandy StationWikipedia: Battle of Brandy Station
  19. 1885

    Treaty of Tientsin is signed to end the Sino-French War, with China eventually giving up Tonkin and Annam – most of present-day Vietnam – to France.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Treaty of Tianjin
  20. 1900

    Indian nationalist Birsa Munda dies of cholera in a British prison.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Birsa Munda
  21. 1915

    William Jennings Bryan resigns as Woodrow Wilson's Secretary of State over a disagreement regarding the United States' handling of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania.

  22. 1920

    The courtesan Wang Lianying was murdered in Shanghai, leading to months of media and literary coverage.

    Asia · ShanghaiWikipedia: Murder of Wang Lianying
  23. 1922

    Åland's Regional Assembly convenes for its first plenary session in Mariehamn, Åland; today, the day is celebrated as Self-Government Day of Åland.

    Europe · ÅlandWikipedia: Åland's Autonomy Day
  24. 1923

    Bulgaria's military takes over the government in a coup.

    Europe · SofiaWikipedia: 1923 Bulgarian coup d'état
  25. 1928

    Charles Kingsford Smith completes the first trans-Pacific flight in a Fokker Trimotor monoplane, the Southern Cross.

  26. 1930

    A Chicago Tribune reporter, Jake Lingle, is killed during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station by Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over a $100,000 gambling debt owed to Al Capone.

    North America · IllinoisWikipedia: Chicago Tribune
  27. 1944

    World War II: Ninety-nine civilians are hanged from lampposts and balconies by German troops in Tulle, France, in reprisal for maquisards attacks.

    Europe · Tulle massacreWikipedia: Tulle massacre
  28. 1944

    World War II: The Soviet Union invades East Karelia and the previously Finnish part of Karelia, occupied by Finland since 1941.

    Europe · KareliaWikipedia: Soviet Union
  29. 1948

    Foundation of the International Council on Archives under the auspices of the UNESCO.

  30. 1953

    The Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak sequence kills 94 people in Massachusetts.

    North America · MassachusettsWikipedia: Tornado outbreak of June 7–9, 1953
  31. 1954

    Joseph N. Welch, special counsel for the United States Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Army–McCarthy hearings, giving McCarthy the famous rebuke, "You've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Joseph N. Welch
  32. 1957

    First ascent of Broad Peak by Fritz Wintersteller, Marcus Schmuck, Kurt Diemberger, and Hermann Buhl.

    Asia · Broad PeakWikipedia: Broad Peak
  33. 1958

    Aeroflot Flight 105 crashes on approach to Magdan-13 Airport, killing 24.

    Asia · Magadan-13 AirportWikipedia: Magadan-13 Airport
  34. 1959

    The USS George Washington is launched. It is the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.

  35. 1965

    The civilian Prime Minister of South Vietnam, Phan Huy Quát, resigns after being unable to work with a junta led by Nguyễn Cao Kỳ.

    Asia · South VietnamWikipedia: South Vietnam
  36. 1965

    Vietnam War: The Viet Cong commences combat with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in the Battle of Đồng Xoài, one of the largest battles in the war.

    Asia · Battle of Đồng XoàiWikipedia: Vietnam War
  37. 1967

    Six-Day War: Israel captures the Golan Heights from Syria.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Six-Day War
  38. 1968

    U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a national day of mourning following the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

    North America · Assassination of Robert F. KennedyWikipedia: Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
  39. 1972

    Severe rainfall causes a dam in the Black Hills of South Dakota to burst, creating a flood that kills 238 people and causes $160 million in damage.

    North America · 1972 Black Hills floodWikipedia: Black Hills
  40. 1973

    In horse racing, Secretariat wins the U.S. Triple Crown.

    no place on the mapWikipedia: Secretariat
  41. 1978

    The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opens its priesthood to "all worthy men", ending a 148-year-old policy of excluding black men.

  42. 1979

    The Ghost Train fire at Luna Park Sydney, Australia, kills seven.

    Oceania · Luna Park SydneyWikipedia: Sydney Ghost Train fire
  43. 1982

    Lebanon War: The Israeli Air Force carried out Operation Mole Cricket 19, successfully suppressing Syrian air defenses in the Beqaa Valley, Lebanon.

  44. 1995

    Ansett New Zealand Flight 703 crashes into the Tararua Range during approach to Palmerston North Airport on the North Island of New Zealand, killing four.

    Oceania · Ansett New Zealand Flight 703Wikipedia: Ansett New Zealand Flight 703
  45. 1999

    Kosovo War: The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO sign a peace treaty.

    Europe · Kumanovo AgreementWikipedia: Kosovo War
  46. 2008

    Two bombs explode at a train station near Algiers, Algeria, killing at least 13 people.

    Africa · Beni AmraneWikipedia: 2008 Beni Amrane bombings
  47. 2009

    An explosion kills 17 people and injures at least 46 at a hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan.

    Asia · Pearl Continental hotel bombingWikipedia: Pearl Continental hotel bombing
  48. 2010

    At least 40 people are killed and more than 70 wounded in a suicide bombing at a wedding party in Arghandab, Kandahar.

    Asia · 2010 Nadahan bombingWikipedia: 2010 Nadahan bombing
  49. 2019

    Dominican-American retired baseball player David Ortiz was shot and severely wounded while at a bar in Santo Domingo.

    Latin America · Shooting of David OrtizWikipedia: Shooting of David Ortiz

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. 2006

    The 18th FIFA World Cup opens in Munich, Germany.

    Europe · 2006 FIFA World CupTranslated from the list on Wikipedia in ChineseWikipedia: 2006年国际足联世界杯

Who was born on 9 June

In order of how many Wikipedia editions have an article about each. The first 60 of 231 are shown.

  1. 1672

    Peter the Great, Russian emperor (died 1725)

    MoscowWikipedia: Peter the Great
  2. 1963

    Johnny Depp, American actor

    OwensboroWikipedia: Johnny Depp
  3. 1981

    Natalie Portman, Israeli-American actress

    Hadassah University Hospital, Mt. ScopusWikipedia: Natalie Portman
  4. 1843

    Bertha von Suttner, Austrian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1914)

    PragueWikipedia: Bertha von Suttner
  5. 1978

    Miroslav Klose, German footballer

    OpoleWikipedia: Miroslav Klose
  6. 1961

    Michael J. Fox, Canadian-American actor, producer, and author

    EdmontonWikipedia: Michael J. Fox
  7. 1984

    Wesley Sneijder, Dutch footballer

    UtrechtWikipedia: Wesley Sneijder
  8. 1917

    Eric Hobsbawm, Egyptian-English historian and author (died 2012)

    AlexandriaWikipedia: Eric Hobsbawm
  9. 1781

    George Stephenson, English engineer, designed the Liverpool and Manchester Railway (died 1848)

    WylamWikipedia: George Stephenson
  10. 1640

    Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor (died 1705)

  11. 1812

    Johann Gottfried Galle, German astronomer and academic (died 1910)

    RadisWikipedia: Johann Gottfried Galle
  12. 1915

    Les Paul, American guitarist and songwriter (died 2009)

    WaukeshaWikipedia: Les Paul
  13. 1661

    Feodor III of Russia (died 1682)

    MoscowWikipedia: Feodor III of Russia
  14. 1875

    Henry Hallett Dale, English pharmacologist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1968)

    IslingtonWikipedia: Henry Hallett Dale
  15. 1916

    Robert McNamara, American businessman and politician, 8th United States Secretary of Defense (died 2009)

    San FranciscoWikipedia: Robert McNamara
  16. 1941

    Jon Lord, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (died 2012)

    LeicesterWikipedia: Jon Lord
  17. 1982

    Yoshito Ōkubo, Japanese footballer

    KandaWikipedia: Yoshito Ōkubo
  18. 1891

    Cole Porter, American composer and songwriter (died 1964)

    PeruWikipedia: Cole Porter
  19. 1595

    Władysław IV Vasa, Polish king (died 1648)

    ŁobzówWikipedia: Władysław IV Vasa
  20. 1978

    Matt Bellamy, English singer, musician and songwriter

    CambridgeWikipedia: Matt Bellamy
  21. 1988

    Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Greek footballer

    KalamataWikipedia: Sokratis Papastathopoulos
  22. 1961

    Aaron Sorkin, American screenwriter, producer, and playwright

    New York CityWikipedia: Aaron Sorkin
  23. 1985

    Sonam Kapoor, Indian model and actress

    ChemburWikipedia: Sonam Kapoor
  24. 1865

    Carl Nielsen, Danish violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1931)

    SortelungWikipedia: Carl Nielsen
  25. 1951

    James Newton Howard, American composer, conductor, and producer

    Los AngelesWikipedia: James Newton Howard
  26. 1975

    Ameesha Patel, Indian actress and model

    Wikipedia: Ameesha Patel
  27. 1956

    Patricia Cornwell, American journalist and author

    MiamiWikipedia: Patricia Cornwell
  28. 1977

    Peja Stojaković, Serbian basketball player

    PožegaWikipedia: Peja Stojaković
  29. 1861

    Pierre Duhem, French physicist, mathematician, and historian (died 1916)

    2nd arrondissement of ParisWikipedia: Pierre Duhem
  30. 1980

    Marcin Wasilewski, Polish footballer and pundit

    KrakówWikipedia: Marcin Wasilewski
  31. 1930

    Barbara, French singer (died 1997)

    17th arrondissement of ParisWikipedia: Barbara
  32. 1988

    Mae Whitman, American actress

    Los AngelesWikipedia: Mae Whitman
  33. 1836

    Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician and politician (died 1917)

    WhitechapelWikipedia: Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
  34. 1934

    Jackie Wilson, American singer-songwriter (died 1984)

    DetroitWikipedia: Jackie Wilson
  35. 1963

    David Koepp, American director, producer, and screenwriter

    PewaukeeWikipedia: David Koepp
  36. 1984

    Masoud Shojaei, Iranian footballer

    ShirazWikipedia: Masoud Shojaei
  37. 1424

    Blanche II of Navarre (died 1464)

    Olite/ErriberriWikipedia: Blanche II of Navarre
  38. 1910

    Robert Cummings, American actor, singer, and director (died 1990)

    JoplinWikipedia: Robert Cummings
  39. 1982

    Christina Stürmer, Austrian singer-songwriter

    Altenberg bei LinzWikipedia: Christina Stürmer
  40. 1990

    Matthias Mayer, Austrian skier

    St. Veit an der GlanWikipedia: Matthias Mayer
  41. 2001

    Xolo Maridueña, American actor.

    Los AngelesWikipedia: Xolo Maridueña
  42. 1810

    Otto Nicolai, German composer and conductor (died 1849)

    KönigsbergWikipedia: Otto Nicolai
  43. 1849

    Michael Ancher, Danish painter and academic (died 1927)

    BornholmWikipedia: Michael Ancher
  44. 1943

    Joe Haldeman, American sci-fi author

    Oklahoma CityWikipedia: Joe Haldeman
  45. 1975

    Otto Addo, German-Ghanaian footballer and manager

    HamburgWikipedia: Otto Addo
  46. 1949

    Kiran Bedi, Indian police officer and activist

    AmritsarWikipedia: Kiran Bedi
  47. 1898

    Luigi Fagioli, Italian race car driver (died 1952)

    OsimoWikipedia: Luigi Fagioli
  48. 1916

    Jurij Brězan, German soldier and author (died 2006)

    RäckelwitzWikipedia: Jurij Brězan
  49. 1989

    Logan Browning, American actress

    AtlantaWikipedia: Logan Browning
  50. 1992

    Yannick Agnel, French swimmer

    NîmesWikipedia: Yannick Agnel
  51. 1930

    Jordi Pujol, Spanish physician and politician, 126th President of the Generalitat de Catalunya

    BarcelonaWikipedia: Jordi Pujol
  52. 1989

    Dídac Vilà, Spanish footballer

    MataróWikipedia: Dídac Vilà
  53. 1945

    Faina Melnik, Soviet discus thrower (died 2016)

    BakotaWikipedia: Faina Melnik
  54. 1874

    Launceston Elliot, Scottish weightlifter and wrestler (died 1930)

    MumbaiWikipedia: Launceston Elliot
  55. 1902

    Skip James, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1969)

    BentoniaWikipedia: Skip James
  56. 1948

    Gudrun Schyman, Swedish social worker and politician

    Täby parishWikipedia: Gudrun Schyman
  57. 1980

    Udonis Haslem, American basketball player

    MiamiWikipedia: Udonis Haslem
  58. 2000

    Diego Lainez, Mexican footballer

    VillahermosaWikipedia: Diego Lainez
  59. 1597

    Pieter Jansz. Saenredam, Dutch painter (died 1665)

    AssendelftWikipedia: Pieter Jansz. Saenredam
  60. 1931

    Jackie Mason, American stand-up comedian (died 2021)

    SheboyganWikipedia: Jackie Mason

What is celebrated on 9 June

  • Anniversary of the Accession of King Abdullah II (Jordan)
  • Autonomy Day (Åland)
  • Christian feast day: Aidan of Lindisfarne (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
  • Christian feast day: Blessed Anna Maria Taigi
  • Christian feast day: Baithéne mac Brénaind
  • Christian feast day: Bede (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
  • Christian feast day: Columba
  • Christian feast day: Ephrem the Syrian (Roman Catholic Church and Church of England)
  • Christian feast day: José de Anchieta
  • Christian feast day: Primus and Felician
  • Christian feast day: June 9 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Coral Triangle Day
  • Don Young Day (Alaska, United States)
  • La Rioja Day (La Rioja)

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