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 February 22, 2025
Eddie Gerard (February 22, 1890 – August 7, 1937) was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he played professionally for 10 seasons for the Ottawa Senators, as a left winger for three years before switching to defence. He was the first player to win the Stanley Cup four years in a row, from 1920 to 1923, three times with the Senators and once as an injury replacement player with the Toronto St. Patricks. After his playing career he served as a coach and manager, working with the Montreal Maroons from 1925 until 1929, and winning the Stanley Cup in 1926. He coached the New York Americans for two seasons before returning to the Maroons for two more seasons, then ended his career coaching the St. Louis Eagles in 1934. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era, Gerard was one of the original nine players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945. He is also an inductee of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. (Full article...)
No second appearance for 2011 Christchurch earthquake
Can someone tell me why there wasn't a second appearance for the 2011 Christchurch earthquake (last appearance was 2013). 2016 happens to be the (significant) 5th year anniversary of the disaster. 5 years onwards, the wikipedia page for it is one of the most well documented for a natural disaster, at least from what I've read. Here's hoping the same thing doesn't happen come March 11th, the 5th anniversary of that tragedy surely deserves some consideration for home page feature... right? --CrashesToAshes (talk) 10:29, 22 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Five years is not a significant anniversary (those start at 10). That's why the 2006 robbery item is in there, which means that in the interest of chronological diversity, the earthquake gets omitted so that we won't have two 21st-century items. —howcheng {chat}16:45, 22 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Excuse me for not having read up on all of the rules, but I wonder whether the sixth anniversary could be considered relevant because it will see the unveiling of the Canterbury Earthquake National Memorial? By that day, I plan to have that article at GA class (obviously, it won't have gone through a review by then, but I will have submitted it for review). The 'on this day' line could thus link to that article;
Can't use it like that, as the unveiling of the memorial is not (yet) a historic event by itself, but the earthquake article is included now. —howcheng {chat}08:28, 22 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Is 2014 Ukrainian revolution still considered "ineligible"? The article has been stable for years now and no issues are mentioned in the head of the page. I would like to see the page moved to "eligible". It was an event that eventually led to a different geopolitical landscape then (that we had) prior. — Yulia Romero • Talk to me!22:47, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]
