OddlyTrue is an independent almanac. Everything on the site answers one question — what really happened on this date? — and we would rather publish fewer entries than a single wrong one. This page sets out the rules we hold ourselves to, so you know exactly what you are reading.
1. Where the facts come from
Every event, birth, death and battle in the archive is checked against at least two sources. Our primary references are the Official Charts Company and Billboard (chart data), Wikidata and Wikipedia (dates, places, coordinates), the Library of Congress Chronicling America collection and The Guardian and New York Times archives (period headlines), and competition record books for sport. Where a source is quoted or its data reused, we say so on the page, and Wikipedia text is reproduced under its CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link to the original article.
2. Original writing
Summaries, introductions and the "Why it's OddlyTrue" notes are written in our own words. We do not copy encyclopaedia entries. Each date page carries an original introduction written specifically for that day, drawing only on facts already verified in the archive. Introductions are drafted with the help of a language model working strictly from our verified fact list, are regenerated whenever the underlying facts change, and are spot-checked by the editor; they never introduce facts that are not in the list.
3. Dates, calendars and precision
Dates are given in the Gregorian calendar unless stated. Births and deaths that the historical record gives in the Old Style (Julian) calendar — such as James Cook, born 27 October 1728 O.S. — are kept on the date as recorded at the time and carry an "O.S. date" badge. Where a source gives only a year — common for ancient battles — the item is kept in the almanac but excluded from any "on this day" list, because we cannot honestly place it on a date. Sporting events spanning several weeks (an Olympic Games, a Tour) appear on the date of the final or closing day only when that date is firmly documented; otherwise they appear by year on the Sports Almanac and not in the daily list.
4. Quarantine and removal
Entries whose title repeats across many dates, whose year cannot be reconciled with the sources, or that were flagged by readers are moved to a quarantine status and disappear from every public page until they are either corrected or deleted. We log the reason for each quarantine. Roughly one in six imported rows has been removed this way since launch.
5. Deaths and sensitive material
The Died on this day section records executions, assassinations and other violent deaths as historical fact, without sensationalism. We do not publish graphic detail, and we describe the cause of death only as the historical record describes it.
6. Advertising and independence
OddlyTrue is funded by display advertising and by readers. Advertisers never see or influence editorial content, and sponsored placements — if we ever run them — will be labelled as such. We have no affiliation with Wikipedia, the BBC, NASA, the Official Charts Company or any other source we cite.
7. Corrections
If you spot an error, tell us via the contact page or the small flag beside any line in Today in History. We aim to check and correct within seven days; substantive corrections are noted on the affected entry and listed below. Factual disputes are settled by primary sources, not by majority vote.
Recent corrections · 0 entries amended after reader reports
No corrections yet — the first reader to spot one gets the credit.
8. Your data
Birthday and email details given to us are used only to send the emails you asked for, and can be exported or deleted from your account at any time. The full details are in our privacy policy.
Last reviewed October 2026. Editor: the OddlyTrue team, United Kingdom. About OddlyTrue →