To report an error when this list is currently on the Main Page, see Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
Before making a suggestion, please read the selected anniversaries guidelines. Please remember that this list usually defers to supporting pages when there is disagreement, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
To discuss improvements to the corresponding May 26 article, see Talk:May 26 instead.
Frequently asked questions
Q1: Why is [Insert event here], an event that is "more important and significant" than all the others that are currently listed, not posted?
A1: Relative article quality along with the mix of topics already listed are often deciding factors in what gets posted. Any given day of the year can have a great many important or significant historical events. The problem is that there is generally only room on the Main Page to list about 5 events at a time, so not everything can be posted.
As stated on Wikipedia:FAQ/Main Page, the items and events posted on the Main Page are chosen based more on how well they are written, not based on how much important or significant their subjects are. It is easier for admins to select a well-written, cited, verifiable article over a poor one versus trying to determine objectively how much a subject is important or significant.
Keep in mind that the quality requirements only apply to the selected bolded article, not the other links. Thus, an event may qualify for multiple dates in a year if there is an article written in a summary style and an article providing detailed content; if one of those pages have cleanup issues, the other page can be bolded as an alternate.
Another criterion is to maintain some variety of topics, and not exhibit, just for example, tech-centrism, or the belief that the world stops at the edge of the English-speaking world. Many days have a large pool of potential articles, so they will rotate in and out every year to give each one some Main Page exposure. In addition, an event is not posted if it is also the subject of this year's scheduled featured article or featured picture.
Q2: There are way too many 20th-century events listed. Why aren't there more events from the 19th century and before?
Q3: This page seems to be biased toward events based in [Insert country or region here]. What can be done about it?
A3: This again is attributed to the systemic bias of Wikipedia. Many users are generally more interested in working on good, well-written articles pertaining to their home country. Since this is the English Wikipedia, there will be more English-speaking users, and thus more articles pertaining to English-speaking countries. And if there are more users who are from the United States, there will probably be more well-written articles about events based in the United States. Again, if you would like to further help mitigate the systemic bias in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Countering systemic bias.
Q4: Why is the birthday/death anniversary of [Insert name here] not listed?
A4: There are only four slots available for birth and death anniversaries. As with the events, article quality and diversity in time period, geography, and reason for notability are all contributing factors in whether an article gets selected for inclusion.
Q5: Are the holidays/observances listed in any particular order?
A5: Yes, there is a specified order: International observances first, then alphabetically by where observed.
Q6: Some of the holidays/observances that are listed have dates in parentheses beside them. What do they mean?
A6: There are two reasons that some holidays/observances have dates next to them:
Non-Gregorian-based holidays/observances are marked with the current year as a reminder to others that their dates do in fact vary from year to year.
National Days, Independence Days, and other holidays celebrating the nationhood of a country are generally marked by the year of the significant historic date being observed.
To admins:
May 26 is the independence day of Georgia and official holiday. The current form is not quite accurate/complete. Please change to:
May 26 is the independence day of Georgia. On May 26th of 1918 Georgia declared independence from Russia and Democratic Republic of Georgia was established.
BJS
BJS, I'm going to take your word and mention Independence Day in Georgia on the template. We currently do not have information in Wikipedia about holidays in Georgia. The other Georgias mess up my Google searches. If you don't mind, please build the page Public holidays in the Republic of Georgia and put it under Category:Public holidays by country. This would be a great help. Many thanks in advance. -- PFHLai 13:33, 2005 May 26 (UTC)
To admins: usualy you have the holiday bold and the country not bold. but with the Georga holiday it is the other way around. --71.255.143.126 11:16, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The bolded link connects to the page with the relevant context. The Independence Day page is just a list of dates and country names. So, for Independence Days, the country's link is bolded as the country's wikiarticle usually has the better info. Same thing for National Days. -- PFHLai16:26, 28 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Pushkin's birthday is May 26 indeed, but according to Julian calendar. After the adoption of Gregorian calendar in Russia in 1918 all the former dates were changed correspondingly. Therefore in modern Russia it is celebrated in June 6. The date actually is stated in both sections, and that surely leads to confusion
Article says "Saint Augustine's Mass Day" when it means (presumably) "Saint Augustine's Day mass" (i.e., the mass on St Augustine's Day). 108.39.144.19 (talk) 21:11, 26 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. — ((U|Technical 13))(t • e • c)13:58, 25 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
It should be specified that the bridge collapse was on I-40, because it's fairly ambiguous unless you click on the link (which not everyone will do). interstatefive (talk) - just another roadgeek 16:50, 26 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Re: * 2002 – Barges being towed destroyed part of a bridge(aftermath pictured) near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, causing vehicles to fall into the Robert S. Kerr Reservoir on the Arkansas River.
While "being towed destroyed" is perfectly correct English, mightn't "Part of a bridge was destroyed(aftermath pictured) by towed barges near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma,..." read a little better? — AjaxSmack18:03, 26 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]