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.
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.
Today's featured article for August 27, 2024
Wikipedia:Today's featured article/August 27, 2024
The Australian soap opera Neighbours celebrates it's 6,000th episode on this date. Is it possible for this to be included? --5 albert square (talk) 22:54, 15 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]
In two separate attacks, IRA bombs killed 18 British soldiers near Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, and British admiral Louis Mountbatten and three others in County Sligo, Ireland.
WP:IRE-IRL says that Republic of Ireland should be used "where the island of Ireland or Northern Ireland is being discussed in the same context or where confusion may arise". Thus it should be County Sligo, Republic of Ireland. However, it might be best simply to remove both Northern Ireland and Ireland. ~Asarlaí 00:42, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Famous Blues musician Stevie Ray Vaughan died in a tragic plane crash on August 27, 1990. Since the Wikipedia Selected anniversaries section on the main page has observed the anniversaries of the deaths of other prominent musicians like Elvis Presley and Aaliyah, do you think that we could includes the anniversary of Stevie's death too? Thanks.
Castigonia (talk) 11:33, 26 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for the suggestion for next year. This year has an item for 1991 (25th anniversary), so we would not run a 1990 item as well. —howcheng {chat} 06:59, 27 August 2016 (UTC)[reply]
User:Ravenpuff reverted, with the edit summary "Unfortunately the Ave Maria fact doesn't appear in the Josquin des Prez article, so the blurb cannot include it. This is more suitable for the births/deaths list; a mere death (not notable in itself) doesn't normally warrant a blurb.)" It's too late for me to edit myself, and I'm happy to be corrected about eligibility criteria, but 1) isn't the logical place for the fact the Ave Maria ... Virgo serena article, where it figures in the lede? 2) I would think 500th anniversaries would normally trump 11-year ones. Sparafucil (talk) 01:03, 26 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Sparafucil: Re no. 1: the reason we couldn't just bold Ave Maria is because neither 27 August nor Josquin's death have anything to do with the motet, and thus doesn't qualify as "the most, or one of the most, important events associated with that article" (criterion 1 at WP:OTDRULES). You're correct about no. 2, and frankly I wouldn't mind if we just removed the phrase whose Ave Maria ... Virgo serena opened the first music printed with movable type from your proposed blurb, or replaced it with another, cited fact from the article. I think this would probably be a case of WP:IAR, though – OTD blurbs are usually more substantive than a simple birth/death. Beethoven's 250th, for example, was only commemorated with a mention in the OTD births/deaths line on the anniversary of his baptism. — RAVENPVFF·talk· 03:14, 26 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
What makes you think I'd be happy about Beethoven either? ;-) Thanks for the fuller explanation, though. Sparafucil (talk) 03:37, 26 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Sparafucil: Natural deaths don't get a full blurb; it usually requires being murdered/assassinated/executed, or dying in an unusual manner (e.g., Isadora Duncan). —howcheng {chat} 07:36, 26 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, I see. Jean-Baptiste Lully would be a tricky case: 8 January when he wounded his toe conducting, or 22 March when he finally succumbed to gangrene? Sparafucil (talk) 19:43, 28 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
Moved from WP:ERRORS
Much as I like seeing astronomy on the MP, the Mars factoid is very trivial. The 1924 close approach was only 0.03% further away, so stating 2003 was a 60,000-year record is both technically correct and misleading. 2018 was only a few percent more, see image. More importantly, the 2003 close pass had no impact, led to no improved understanding, and generally wasn't very significant to anyone. I suggest retiring the event from the OTD rotation and replacing it with either the Kellogg–Briand Pact or the Stevie Wonder air crash from the eligible list. Modest Geniustalk 14:05, 27 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Modest Genius: This fact has been featured in OTD since 2004, which long predates even my involvement. I'm not saying that tradition is a reason why we need to keep it, but at the same time that's pretty much why I've kept it. —howcheng {chat} 06:53, 28 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Howcheng: Well that explains how it made it on - in 2004, the 2003 close approach would have had recent interest. And back then, an article like Mars would be well worth featuring on the MP, as we didn't have anywhere near the same level of high-quality coverage in more specific articles (cf. [1] vs [2]. But I think it's time to retire this item. Modest Geniustalk 11:06, 31 August 2021 (UTC)[reply]