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? A2: The short, basic reason is the systemic bias of Wikipedia. There are not enough good, well-written articles on 19th-century and earlier events for all 365 days in the year. Currently, a majority of users seem to be generally more interested in writing articles about recent events. If you would like to further help mitigate the systemic bias in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Countering systemic bias. 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.

• 648 BC - Earliest solar eclipse recorded by the Ancient Greeks.
• 1320 - The Scots reaffirm their independence by signing the Declaration of Arbroath.
• 1652 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp at the Cape of Good Hope, which will eventually develop into Cape Town.
• 1782 - Rama I succeeds King Taksin of Thailand, who was overthrown in a coup d'etat.
• 1832 - The Black Hawk War begins.
• 1841 - John Tyler is inaugurated as the 10th President of the United States.
• 1862 - American Civil War: In Tennessee. the Battle of Shiloh begins.
• 1895 - Oscar Wilde is arrested after losing a libel case against the John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquess of Queensberry.
• 1896 - Opening of the first modern Olympic Games.
• 1909 - Robert Peary allegedly reaches the North Pole.
• 1917 - World War I: United States declares war on Germany (see Wikiquote).
• 1930 - Hostess Twinkies are invented.
• 1931 - Little Orphan Annie debuts on the Blue Network of NBC.
• 1941 - World War II: Germany invades Yugoslavia and Greece.
• 1973 - Launch of Pioneer 11 spacecraft.
• 1974 - The California Jam Rock concert begins.
• 1979 - President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan is executed.
• 1987 - Sugar Ray Leonard takes the middleweight boxing title from Marvin Hagler.
• 1994 - The genocide in Rwanda officially begins when the aircraft carrying Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira is shot down by extremists.
• 1998 - Pakistan tests medium-range missiles capable of hitting India.

• Moved to Ineligible: Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) (maintenance); Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira (maintenance);
• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Grand Army of the Republic
• New articles (unused): 1580 Dover Straits earthquake; John Jacob Astor; April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
• Omitted: Battle of Block Island; Committee of Public Safety; Vancouver; Battle of Greece/Invasion of Yugoslavia (Yugoslavia ineligible—maintenance); 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
• Included: Battle of Fariskur (first appearance); Declaration of Arbroath (3rd appearance, last in 2005; rescued from Ineligible); Siege of Badajoz (1812) (first appearance); Tony Award (2nd appearance, last in 2010); 2008 Egyptian general strike (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 07:45, 5 April 2012 (UTC)[reply]

• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints); Battle of Greece/Invasion of Yugoslavia
• Omitted: Battle of Fariskur; Declaration of Arbroath; Siege of Badajoz (1812); Tony Award; 2008 Egyptian general strike
• Included: Cape Town (5th appearance, last in 2010); Committee of Public Safety (2nd appearance, last in 2011); John Jacob Astor (first appearance); Salt Lake Temple (first appearance); April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 05:06, 5 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]

• Moved to Ineligible: Battle of Greece (TFA for 2014)
• Omitted: Cape Town; Committee of Public Safety; John Jacob Astor; Salt Lake Temple; April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
• Included: 1580 Dover Straits earthquake (first appearance); Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) (6th appearance, last in 2010); 1896 Summer Olympics (7th appearance, last in 2010); Tony Award (3rd appearance, last in 2012); 2008 Egyptian general strike (2nd appearance, last in 2012)

—howcheng {chat} 07:57, 5 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

• Moved to Ineligible: John Jacob Astor (maintenance)
• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Battle of Greece/Invasion of Yugoslavia
• New articles (unused): Azawadi declaration of independence
• Omitted: 1580 Dover Straits earthquake; Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints); 1896 Summer Olympics; Tony Award; 2008 Egyptian general strike
• Included: Cape Town (6th appearance, last in 2013); Committee of Public Safety (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Battle of Slater's Knoll (first appearance; 70th anniversary); 1979 Nepalese student protests (first appearance); Rolandas Paksas (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 05:16, 4 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): John Jacob Astor; Robert Peary
• Omitted: Cape Town (ineligible—maintenance); Committee of Public Safety; Battle of Slater's Knoll; 1979 Nepalese student protests; Rolandas Paksas
• Included: Declaration of Arbroath (4th appearance, last in 2012); Grand Army of the Republic (2nd appearance, last in 2004; 150th anniversary); 1896 Summer Olympics (8th appearance, last in 2014); Battle of Greece/Invasion of Yugoslavia (both: 2nd appearance, last in 2011; 75th anniversary); 2009 L'Aquila earthquake (2nd appearance, last in 2011)

—howcheng {chat} 07:39, 4 April 2016 (UTC)[reply]

• Moved to Ineligible: Robert Peary (maintenance); Committee of Public Safety (maintenance)
• Omitted: Declaration of Arbroath; Grand Army of the Republic; Invasion of Yugoslavia; 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
• Included: Battle of Fariskur (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Vancouver (5th appearance, last in 2011); Tony Award (4th appearance, last in 2014); Azawadi declaration of independence (first appearance); Raphael (first appearance); Nadar (photographer) (first appearance); Rose O'Neill (first appearance)
• Repeats: 1896 Summer Olympics (2nd consecutive appearance, 9 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:56, 6 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

• Moved to Ineligible: Declaration of Arbroath (maintenance); 1580 Dover Straits earthquake (maintenance); Grand Army of the Republic (maintenance); Salt Lake Temple (maintenance); 1979 Nepalese student protests (maintenance)
• New articles (ineligible): American entry into World War I (maintenance)
• New articles (unused): Newhall incident
• Omitted: Battle of Fariskur; 1896 Summer Olympics; Tony Award; Azawadi declaration of independence; Raphael; Nadar (photographer); Rose O'Neill
• Included: New York Slave Revolt of 1712 (first appearance); Siege of Badajoz (1812) (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Battle of Slater's Knoll (2nd appearance, last in 2015); Jalal Talabani (first appearance); Basil of Trebizond (first appearance); James Mill (first appearance); Donald Wills Douglas Sr. (first appearance)
• Repeats: Vancouver (2nd consecutive appearance, 6 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:10, 6 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

• New articles (unused): April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests (moved from April 7); Julie Ertz
• Omitted: New York Slave Revolt of 1712; Vancouver (ineligible—maintenance); Battle of Slater's Knoll; Jalal Talabani; Basil of Trebizond; James Mill; Donald Wills Douglas Sr.
• Included: Tartan Day (rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Pollentia (first appearance); Battle of Greece/Invasion of Yugoslavia (both: 3rd appearance, last in 2016); Newhall incident (first appearance); 2009 L'Aquila earthquake (3rd appearance, last in 2016; 10th anniversary); Arvid Horn (first appearance); Jeanne Hébuterne (first appearance); Anita Borg (first appearance)
• Repeats: Siege of Badajoz (1812) (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 15:50, 8 April 2019 (UTC)[reply]

• New articles (ineligible): Operation Retribution (1941) (TFA for 2020)
• Omitted: Battle of Pollentia; Siege of Badajoz (1812); Battle of Greece; 2009 L'Aquila earthquake; Arvid Horn; Jeanne Hébuterne; Anita Borg
• Included: New York Slave Revolt of 1712 (2nd appearance, last in 2018); 1896 Summer Olympics (10th appearance, last in 2017); Battle of Slater's Knoll (3rd appearance, last in 2018); April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada (2nd appearance, last in 2013; 10th anniversary); Raphael (2nd appearance, last in 2017; 500th birthday); Nadar (2nd appearance, last in 2017; 200th birthday); Julie Ertz (first appearance)
• Repeats: Newhall incident (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 50th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 18:29, 7 April 2020 (UTC)[reply]

• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Operation Retribution (1941)
• New articles (unused): Anita Pallenberg
• Omitted: New York Slave Revolt of 1712; Battle of Slater's Knoll; Newhall incident; April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada; Raphael; Nadar; Julie Ertz
• Included: Battle of Fariskur (3rd appearance, last in 2017); John Jacob Astor (2nd appearance, last in 2013); Battle of Greece (4th appearance, last in 2019; 80th anniversary); April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Henry Barrowe (first appearance); René Lalique (first appearance); Ng Ser Miang (first appearance)
• Repeats: 1896 Summer Olympics (2nd consecutive appearance, 11 total; 125th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 05:50, 8 April 2021 (UTC)[reply]

• Moved to Ineligible: Battle of Pollentia (maintenance)
• New articles (ineligible): Eurovision Song Contest 1974 (maintenance)
• Omitted: Battle of Fariskur; John Jacob Astor; 1896 Summer Olympics; Battle of Greece; April 2009 Moldovan parliamentary election protests; Henry Barrowe; René Lalique; Ng Ser Miang
• Included: New York Slave Revolt of 1712 (3rd appearance, last in 2020); Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) (7th appearance, last in 2014); Assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira (4th appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); Azawadi declaration of independence (2nd appearance, last in 2017; 10th anniversary); Leonora Baroni (first appearance); Philip Henry Gosse (first appearance); Julie Ertz (2nd appearance, last in 2020; 30th birthday)

—howcheng {chat} 07:27, 8 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]