Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day Date in the current year: December 21, 2025

First published in 1872, Around the World in Eighty Days (Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is one of Verne’s most famous and acclaimed novels. The novel’s protagonist, the wealthy English gentleman Phileas Fogg, wagers £20,000 (the equivalent of £2.3 million in 2023) with his fellow Reform Club members that he can travel around the world in 80 days or less.

Accompanied by his newly hired French valet, Jean Passepartout, Fogg departs from London on October 2, 1872. Their route takes them through Suez, Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Yokohama, San Francisco, New York City, Queenstown (now Cobh), Dublin, and Liverpool.

Unbeknownst to Fogg, he is followed by Fix, a Scotland Yard detective who suspects him of a bank robbery. Fix causes several delays along the way and finally arrests Fogg in Liverpool. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up, Fogg is released, but he misses his train to London and arrives five minutes late, presumably losing the wager.

However, it turns out that Fogg has mistaken the date because he has been traveling eastward across time zones. Once he learns that it is still December 21, not December 22, he makes it to the Reform Club in time and wins the wager.

Around the World in Eighty Days was an immediate success when it first appeared as a newspaper serialization, drawing a large audience. After its release, several people even attempted to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days or less. For example, American journalist Nellie Bly completed the journey in 72 days, from November 14, 1889, to January 25, 1890. A rival publisher dispatched another journalist, Elizabeth Bisland, on her own journey at the same time, but she could not beat Bly.

Around the World in Eighty Days has been adapted into stage plays, radio dramas, feature films, television series, board games, and video games. The most recent adaptation, as of 2025, is the eponymous television series released in 2021, starring David Tennant as Phileas Fogg and Ibrahim Koma as Passepartout.

The origins of Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day are unclear, but it was probably created by a Jules Verne fan. This fun holiday celebrates adventurers and gives us the opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come since Verne’s time. Today, it is possible to travel around the world in fewer than 80 days with far fewer challenges, thanks to people whose drive and dedication matched Fogg’s. Fogg may be a fictional character, but he had a real impact on generations of travelers, adventurers, and inventors.

There are many ways to celebrate Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day. You can reread Around the World in Eighty Days (or read it for the first time if you haven’t yet), watch one of its many adaptations, or plan an exciting adventure. If you don’t have the time or money to travel, you can still take a virtual journey and learn more about the world’s most famous sights.