How does one have one’s birthday listed in a broadsheet newspaper????

[Thefaroeislands]

Picture of birthdays in the Times today(not the announcements you pay for). It always seems such a random collection of people- many of whom I’ve never heard of. In todays someone who wrote songs for Tina Turner and someone else who was vice chancellor of a welsh university 30 years ago 🤔. Who decides this?

I don't know how it gets decided, but obviously readers will be of different ages and have different interests. Looking down that list, I haven't heard of most of them, but then if I listed people born on the day in whom I was interested for one reason or another, the list would probably be meaningless to most others.

I know - but that’s kind of what I mean. How do they decide this? I’d understand it if they listed a cross section of currently relevant people…..but the vice chancellor of a welsh uni from 30 years ago?? What has he done to get his birthday in the Times? Current scientists, sports people or people of current significance etc would make sense