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 June 28 article, see Talk:June 28 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.
Today's featured article for June 28, 2024
"Well he would, wouldn't he?" is an aphorism that is commonly used as a retort to a self-interested denial. It was said by the model Mandy Rice-Davies(pictured) while giving evidence at the 1963 trial of Stephen Ward, who had been accused of living off money paid to Rice-Davies and her friend Christine Keeler for sex: part of the larger Profumo affair. While being cross-examined Rice-Davies was told that Lord Astor, who owned the Cliveden estate that Ward rented a cottage on, had denied an affair with her: she replied "Well he would, wouldn't he?" Political, communications and psychological experts have interpreted it as a phrase which indicates the speaker believes a person is making a self-interested, obvious or irrelevant denial. They have also stated it functions as a retort to mistruths made by public figures. Linguistically, it has been noted for its use of the modal verb would to create rhetorical effect. The phrase has been included in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations since 1979. (Full article...)
It is currently protected since it is about to go on to the main page.
In any case, the Stonewall riots article has been selected as the Main Page featured article for June 28, 2009. An event is generally not posted on OTD if it is also the subject of this year's scheduled featured article, especially when the first sentence in the Main Page TFA caption essentially repeats what would have been posted on OTD. Cheers. Zzyzx11 (talk) 22:05, 27 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
I propose adding Case Blue to this day, as it bears historically significance and has been improved during the last months to be somehow representable. Its the Nazi German 1942 strategic summer offensive aimed at the caucasian oilfields, which failed later at Stalingrad. Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria also had been vastly improved by someone, so you may should mark this article as bold instead of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand article. StoneProphet (talk) 16:42, 25 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Please let's not be so ghoulish as to use this image, especially on the main page. Unnecessary sensationalism when photos of the actual people are so readily available. Awien (talk) 23:18, 21 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Come on, admins. I'm talking about the image accompanying the item on the 1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, scheduled to run on Sunday. Surely there's someone who sees how morbidly sensationalising this is. Please pull it. Awien (talk) 12:53, 22 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I haven't gotten around to doing the updates for this year yet. —howcheng {chat} 15:28, 22 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]
Included: Giselle (2nd appearance, last in 2008; rescued from Ineligible); Ned Kelly (10th appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); Irish Civil War (first appearance); Gazimestan speech (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Operation Red Wings (first appearance; 10th anniversary)
@Howcheng: Is it possible to nominate the Hafte Tir bombing for 2019 OTD? It was on the main page in 2013 for last time. Regards! Saff V. (talk) 09:27, 2 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Saff V.: Looks like the discussion is still ongoing, as the orange maintenance tags have not yet been removed. Regardless, we have a 1989 item that gets priority this year, so even if this were eligible, it wouldn't be included. —howcheng {chat} 16:53, 10 June 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Included: Adolphe Sax (first appearance; blurb previously featured Saxophone, which is currently ineligible, and is making its 6th appearance, last in 2016); James Reavis (4th appearance, last in 2014; 125th anniversary); Bodo League massacre (2nd appearance, last in 2013; 70th anniversary); Adam Osborne (4th appearance, last in 2006; 30th anniversary; rescued from Ineligible); James Tuchet, 7th Baron Audley (first appearance); James Madison (first appearance); Amira Hass (first appearance)
The Stonewall riots FA last appeared in this page in 2019, and 2014 before that. We are at another five year anniversary, so its an apt one for inclusion (currently in Eligible). However, this year it may also appear on DYK with an image, so another image should be used. CMD (talk) 05:19, 8 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]