A new interactive map has been created by researchers at Paris University, using information scraped from Wikipedia and Wikidata, to show the birth places of some of the most notable people around the world.
There are some familiar names noted in Wigan borough, including Edmund Arrowsmith, Davey Boy Smith – aka wrestler British Bulldog – and actress Eva Pope.
But some of the people featured may not be quite as well-known to Wiganers.
9. Most notable people born in Wigan
Freestyle swimmer June Croft, from Bryn, represented Great Britain at three consecutive summer Olympics, starting in 1980, and won medals at both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games Photo: Submitted
10. Most notable people born in Wigan
Nigel Short, who was born in Leigh and grew up in Atherton, became a chess grandmaster when he was just 19 and was the first English player in a World Chess Championship match Photo: Submitted
11. Most notable people born in Wigan
Propulsion and electrical engineer Professor Eric Laithwaite, of Atherton, was known for his development of the linear induction motor and MagLev railway system used for ultra high speed trains in China Photo: Submitted
12. Most notable people born in Wigan
Edmund Arrowsmith was sentenced to death in 1628 after he was convicted of being a Roman Catholic priest. In 1970 he was made one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales by Pope John Paul VI. The Catholic Church of St Oswald and St Edmund Arrowsmith and St Edmund Arrowsmith High School, both in Ashton, were named in his honour Photo: Submitted