What Was Number 1
When You Were Born?

The Charts Behind Your Number 1

• UK — Official UK Singles Chart

  Every week from the very first chart, published on 14 November 1952, to 31 December 2024. The chart is compiled by the Official Charts Company.

• US — Billboard Hot 100

  Every week from the first Hot 100 on 4 August 1958 to 31 December 2024. Billboard ran other singles charts before that, but the Hot 100 is the one we use.

• Australia — three charts

  From January 1949 to 31 December 2024: the ARIA Chart from June 1988, the Kent Music Report from May 1974 to June 1988, and before that David Kent's retrospective chart, which was compiled later from radio station charts. Each song is labelled with the chart it comes from.

We don't take data from the chart companies directly: our week-by-week records are compiled from Wikipedia's lists of number ones and checked against them.

Number 1s on Some Famous Birthdays

A few dates to show how the UK and US charts compare. Each one links to the full birthday page for that day.

Every UK Christmas number one since 1952 →

• 20 July 1969

  UK: “Honky Tonk Women” by The Rolling Stones

  US: “In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)” by Zager and Evans

  Born on 20 July 1969 →Born on July 20, 1969 (US) →

• 14 February 1984

  UK: “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

  US: “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club

  Born on 14 February 1984 →Born on February 14, 1984 (US) →

• 25 December 1985

  UK: “Merry Christmas Everyone” by Shakin' Stevens

  US: “Say You, Say Me” by Lionel Richie

  Born on 25 December 1985 →Born on December 25, 1985 (US) →

• 25 December 1991

  UK: “Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are the Days of Our Lives” by Queen

  US: “Black or White” by Michael Jackson

  Born on 25 December 1991 →Born on December 25, 1991 (US) →

• 1 January 2000

  UK: “I Have a Dream / Seasons in the Sun” by Westlife

  US: “Smooth” by Santana featuring Rob Thomas

  Born on 1 January 2000 →Born on January 1, 2000 (US) →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out what was number 1 when I was born?

Enter your date of birth in the form above and choose the UK, US or Australia chart. We look up the song that was number 1 in the chart week your birthday fell in, and show it with the artist, the top-grossing film of your birth year and a TV show of the time. It's free and there's nothing to sign up for.

Which dates does the number 1 lookup cover?

The UK covers every week from the very first Official UK Singles Chart, published on 14 November 1952, and the US every week of the Billboard Hot 100 from its first chart on 4 August 1958. Australian number ones go back to January 1949. All three run to 31 December 2024. You can enter any birthday from 1940: for a date before a chart began there is no song from that chart, but you'll still see the film of your birth year. Film data covers every year from 1940; TV covers 1950 to 2005 for the UK and Australia and 1950 to 2018 for the US. The US view also shows the year's bestselling novel, from 1940 to 2012.

Why is my number 1 different in the UK and the US?

They are two separate charts, counted separately in each country, so the same week often has a different number 1 — and a song can top one chart months before or after the other, or never top it at all. On 25 December 1991, for example, "Bohemian Rhapsody / These Are the Days of Our Lives" by Queen was number 1 in the UK while "Black or White" by Michael Jackson topped the Billboard Hot 100. Use the switcher above the form to see both.

Is it the number 1 on the exact day of my birthday?

The charts are weekly, so we show the song that was number 1 in the chart week your birthday fell in. If a new number 1 arrived within a few days of your birthday, the song for that exact day can depend on how each chart dated its weeks, so it's worth checking the weeks either side.

Which charts do you use for each country?

For the UK, the Official UK Singles Chart (compiled by the Official Charts Company). For the US, the Billboard Hot 100. For Australia, the ARIA Chart from June 1988, the Kent Music Report from May 1974, and before that David Kent's retrospective chart (compiled later from radio station charts) back to 1949. Our week-by-week records are compiled from Wikipedia's lists of number ones for each chart and checked against them.

Why is the film shown for the year, not the week?

Weekly box office data for the earlier decades is not reliably available in a structured digital form, so we show one film from your birth year rather than the specific week. Films are the highest-grossing film worldwide released that year, from Wikipedia's List of highest-grossing films; figures include re-releases.

Can I share my result?

Yes — when your result loads it gets its own link. Use the Copy Link button, or share straight to X (Twitter) or Facebook with the buttons under your result.