Is the content tied to today's date?

Yes. It pulls the events recorded for the current calendar date, so the almanac matches today wherever you are.

Where does it come from?

From Wikimedia's “on this day” feed, the same historical entries that power Wikipedia's on-this-day features.

No. The Wikimedia feed is free and key-less; the saver only needs an internet connection.

Can I see births and deaths too?

Yes. You can switch between events, notable births, notable deaths, or everything combined.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Why do older events sometimes have uncertain dates?

Before standard calendars were adopted, records used local systems, and the switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar happened at different times in different countries. Editors usually cite the convention scholars use.

Who decides which events are listed?

Volunteer Wikipedia editors choose and edit the entries, guided by community guidelines that weigh significance and diversity of era, region and topic. The lists are not exhaustive and can change between visits.

Is every birthday of a famous person included?

No. Only a few notable births and deaths are featured per date, so many notable people are missing from their own birthdays.

On This Day Screensaver

The On This Day screensaver is a live almanac of the notable events, births and deaths that happened on today's date through history, scrolling by from the key-less Wikimedia feed. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the On This Day screensaver works

The saver reads Wikimedia's “on this day” feed for the current calendar date, with no key.

It gathers the historical events — and optionally the births and deaths — recorded for that day across the centuries.

The entries are sorted by year and scroll past in a warm, parchment-toned almanac.

Each day the list changes to that date's history, and the feed is refreshed periodically.

How Wikipedia compiles a day in history

The On This Day section of Wikipedia is maintained by volunteer editors, who keep queues of candidate entries for each calendar day. The Main Page shows generally about five events per day, plus at least one notable birth and one notable death. Entries are written as a single sentence in the past tense, with one linked article in bold, so an entry from 1066 can sit beside one from last century.

Because the lists are chosen rather than exhaustive, they reflect editorial judgement. Wikipedia's guidelines ask for events of moderate to great historical significance, then weigh chronological, geographic and topic diversity so a day does not bunch around one era or region. What counts as significant is still a judgement, and the lists change as people edit them.

Historical dating has its own pitfalls. Many dates before the eighteenth century were recorded in the Julian calendar, which differs from the modern Gregorian one by days, and countries adopted the change at different times. A date on screen is therefore the date as normally cited, not always the date a witness would have written. Brief entries compress contested events into a line, so the linked article is the place for nuance.

A worked example

On a single date you'll drift past entries like 1969 — … and 1215 — …, centuries of history that share today's calendar day, scrolling by one year at a time like pages of an almanac.

Settings & tips

Show chooses events, births, deaths, or everything.
Scroll speed sets how fast the almanac moves.
Accent recolours the highlights.

Frequently asked questions

Is the content tied to today's date?: Yes. It pulls the events recorded for the current calendar date, so the almanac matches today wherever you are.
Where does it come from?: From Wikimedia's “on this day” feed, the same historical entries that power Wikipedia's on-this-day features.
Does it need a key?: No. The Wikimedia feed is free and key-less; the saver only needs an internet connection.
Can I see births and deaths too?: Yes. You can switch between events, notable births, notable deaths, or everything combined.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Why do older events sometimes have uncertain dates?: Before standard calendars were adopted, records used local systems, and the switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar happened at different times in different countries. Editors usually cite the convention scholars use.
Who decides which events are listed?: Volunteer Wikipedia editors choose and edit the entries, guided by community guidelines that weigh significance and diversity of era, region and topic. The lists are not exhaustive and can change between visits.
Is every birthday of a famous person included?: No. Only a few notable births and deaths are featured per date, so many notable people are missing from their own birthdays.

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