Temporal
Historical Queries
Query historical events, movements, and periods. Explore cultural heritage through time-based analysis using Wikidata's rich historical data.
Historical Properties in Wikidata
Wikidata captures historical information through various properties that describe when events occurred, movements flourished, and entities existed.
| Property | ID | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| point in time | wdt:P585 |
When an event occurred |
| start time | wdt:P580 |
Beginning of a period/event |
| end time | wdt:P582 |
End of a period/event |
| significant event | wdt:P793 |
Major events in history |
| historical period | wdt:P2348 |
Time period classification |
| part of | wdt:P361 |
Events as part of larger events |
Programming History: Key Milestones
First Implementations of Each Paradigm
SELECT ?paradigm ?paradigmLabel
(MIN(?inception) AS ?firstAppearance)
(SAMPLE(?langLabel) AS ?firstLanguage)
WHERE {
?lang wdt:P31 wd:Q9143 ;
wdt:P3966 ?paradigm ;
wdt:P571 ?inception .
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
GROUP BY ?paradigm ?paradigmLabel
ORDER BY ?firstAppearance
Computing Pioneers by Birth Date
#defaultView:Timeline
SELECT ?person ?personLabel ?birth ?death ?image
WHERE {
?person wdt:P106 wd:Q82594 ; # computer scientist
wdt:P569 ?birth .
OPTIONAL { ?person wdt:P570 ?death . }
OPTIONAL { ?person wdt:P18 ?image . }
# Pioneers: born before 1950
FILTER(YEAR(?birth) < 1950)
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
ORDER BY ?birthCultural Heritage: Historical Events
Art Movements and Their Periods
#defaultView:Timeline
SELECT ?movement ?movementLabel ?start ?end
?country ?countryLabel
WHERE {
?movement wdt:P31 wd:Q968159 . # art movement
OPTIONAL { ?movement wdt:P580 ?start . }
OPTIONAL { ?movement wdt:P582 ?end . }
OPTIONAL { ?movement wdt:P495 ?country . }
# Only movements with at least start date
FILTER(BOUND(?start))
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
ORDER BY ?start
UNESCO Heritage Sites by Inscription Year
SELECT (YEAR(?inscribed) AS ?year)
(COUNT(?site) AS ?newSites)
(GROUP_CONCAT(DISTINCT ?siteLabel; SEPARATOR="; ") AS ?examples)
WHERE {
?site wdt:P1435 wd:Q9259 ; # UNESCO World Heritage Site
wdt:P373 ?commons . # has Commons category
?site p:P1435 ?statement .
?statement pq:P580 ?inscribed . # start time qualifier
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
GROUP BY ?inscribed
ORDER BY DESC(?year)
LIMIT 20
Archaeological Sites by Discovery Period
SELECT ?site ?siteLabel ?discovered
?country ?countryLabel
?period ?periodLabel
WHERE {
?site wdt:P31 wd:Q839954 ; # archaeological site
wdt:P575 ?discovered . # time of discovery
OPTIONAL { ?site wdt:P17 ?country . }
OPTIONAL { ?site wdt:P2348 ?period . } # historical period
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
ORDER BY ?discovered
LIMIT 100Urban History: City Development
Historical Capitals of Countries
SELECT ?country ?countryLabel
?capital ?capitalLabel
?start ?end
WHERE {
?country wdt:P31 wd:Q6256 ; # country
p:P36 ?statement . # capital statement
?statement ps:P36 ?capital .
# Get time qualifiers
OPTIONAL { ?statement pq:P580 ?start . }
OPTIONAL { ?statement pq:P582 ?end . }
# Only historical capitals (with end date)
FILTER(BOUND(?end))
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
ORDER BY ?countryLabel ?start
Historical Population Data
SELECT ?city ?cityLabel ?year ?population
WHERE {
VALUES ?city { wd:Q90 } # Paris
?city p:P1082 ?popStatement .
?popStatement ps:P1082 ?population ;
pq:P585 ?date . # point in time
BIND(YEAR(?date) AS ?year)
SERVICE wikibase:label {
bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "en" .
}
}
ORDER BY ?year