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 April 23 article, see Talk:April 23 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.
2003 - Beijing closes all schools for two weeks due to the SARS virus.
Since the The Merry Wives of Windsor article doesn't mention the date it was first performed, why is it listed here? RickK | Talk 05:51, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)
Whooops ! I missed that. Thanks. It's now gone. -- PFHLai 10:25, 2005 Apr 23 (UTC)
Shakesepere
This page contains nonesense about the Conch Republic and not the birth/death of Will Shakespere? I know births/deaths are only to be included if no other event sare to be found but a doing both on the same date of year is quite notable and its certainly more mentionable than that Conch rubbish? Robdurbar08:50, 24 April 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Actually, this facetious declaration of independence has already been replaced by a serious declaration of declaration in an edit about a week ago. --PFHLai13:24, 23 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Yom HaZikaron date
Once again, as we did last week with Yom HaShoah, we come to the dispute over whether the date is observed on Saturday night/Sunday or Sunday night/Monday. Israel seems to be doing the latter but most calendars again report it on its "traditional" date, 4 Iyar, Sat PM/Sunday. Yom Haatzmaut immediately follows. Obviously Israel is the authority on when we observe its Memorial Day and its Independence Day, but is this a new concept of moving "secular" legal holidays if they fall adjacent to the Sabbath? and, if not, why were the calendars unaware? --Valley2city₪‽19:24, 22 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]
This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.
1979 – Activist Blair Peach suffered fatal head injuries after being knocked unconscious during an Anti-Nazi League demonstration in Southall, London, against a National Front election meeting in the town hall.
needs to be changed to:
1979 – Activist Blair Peach suffered fatal head injuries when he was knocked unconscious during an Anti-Nazi League demonstration in Southall, London, against a National Front election meeting in the town hall.
( he died "after" being knocked unconscious, but suffered fatal injuries at the time he was knocked unconscious)
Awien (talk) 08:01, 22 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you! This almost ubiquitous misuse of "after" really bugs me ("two people were killed after a collision on Highway 1": really unlucky, first in a collision, then someone or something killed them! Poor things!). Awien (talk) 16:28, 22 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Included: Order of the Garter (6th appearance, last in 2012; rescued from Ineligible); Zeebrugge Raid (first appearance); New Coke (6th appearance, last in 2013; rescued from Ineligible); GRB 090423 (2nd appearance, last in 2013)
Included: Battle of Clontarf (6th appearance, last in 2014); Baedeker Blitz (3rd appearance, last in 2013; 75th anniversary); Hank Aaron (7th appearance, last in 2014); GRB 090423 (3rd appearance, last in 2015)
