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 6 article, see Talk:June 6 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.
As you have protected the page, it is your obligation to listen to wikipedians' requests. I'll drop a note here and check back tomorrow. What is the purpose of protecting two days in advance? This page wont go on the main page, and the essense of "Being Bold" in updating is made impossible.
Please check National holiday of Sweden for comparisment. The event mentioned on Selected anniversaries is not really the main celebrated event for the national day.
As a general rule, to maintain some variety of topics on the Main Page as a whole, an event is not posted this year if it is also the subject of this year's scheduled featured article or featured picture — like today. Zzyzx11 (talk) 05:15, 6 June 2009 (UTC)[reply]
@Zzyzx11: If D-Day were today’s featured article, I could somewhat understand the logic of not having D-Day as one of the on-this-day’s articles. But, I do not think that logic equally applies to when the featured picture is of, or connected to, D-Day. While today’s image is instantly recognizable and instantly associated with D-Day for many of us, for many others it simply is not. For many, there is little to no recognition. And, as time goes by, this will be more and more the case. I think that D-Day, if not the article of the day, should always be listed in the on-this-day’s articles. Thanks! — SpikeToronto01:40, 6 June 2015 (UTC)[reply]
This year there is nothing on the main page relating to D-day. I think D-day is the most notable thing that occurred on June 6 and should be added. --Pithon314 (talk) 02:25, 6 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
@Pithon314: Articles go in and out of rotation every year. D-Day was included in both 2019 and 2020, so it can take a break and give some other articles an opportunity to appear. —howcheng {chat}07:10, 9 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]
D-Day wasn't included on the front page in 2022 either. I understand that recurring topics change rotation to allow other articles to fill in, however, this being such a monumental event that it should still be linked on the front page. Springbok001 (talk) 13:19, 6 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Is there no exceptions to the rule mentioned above? This seems like an event that any reader should see on the main page somewhere. I understand it not being the featured article year after year, but why can it not be mentioned in at least the OTD? I mean absolutely no disrespect to the contributors that compiled today's OTD nor do I mean any disrespect to any of the events listed, but the Normandy invasions absolutely could have been placed in that list as far as historical importance goes. Could not some of the other entries be shortened, and D-Day slipped in?Mulstev (talk) 16:22, 6 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@Springbok001 and Mulstev: No eligible article is guaranteed an appearance any year. Preference is usually given to those with significant milestone anniversaries, but that's it. Otherwise, we try to maintain a variety of historical eras, topics, and locations. For this year, I decided to go with 1982's blurb because it hadn't featured in 5 years, the 2017 one as it's the first time for that one, so a third war article would have been too much. —howcheng {chat}17:11, 6 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Included: Shivaji (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Queensland (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Chicago 'L' (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Novarupta (first appearance); Josef Mengele (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible)
No, the sentence with the date has to be cited to a reliable source. I checked the source for the next sentence and it does not include the date. —howcheng {chat}21:10, 2 June 2016 (UTC)[reply]
Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 U.S. 479 (June 7, 1965). The United States Supreme Court legalized contraception holding that the statute forbidding its use violated marital privacy right.
Not done. Two reasons: 1) you are on the talk page for June 6, not June 7; 2) the article is tagged as requiring expansion, which makes it ineligible for inclusion. Please see WP:OTDRULES for more information. —howcheng {chat}16:03, 7 June 2017 (UTC)[reply]
@Alanscottwalker: It's very close. There are a few paragraphs in the History and Legacy sections that aren't cited, and a citation for the list of league champions would be good too. Thanks. —howcheng {chat}15:34, 4 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]
@Howcheng:: I messed-up, I have to apologies to you personally and to Wikipedia. I got 'excited' when I read an article on the anniversary. And rushed over here and never looked back. In looking for any new coverage on the web today to add to the article, I see I mistook "this Wednesday" for one week later than it should have been (May 30). Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I have 'fixed' the article. Can I go ahead and transfer this discussion to May 30, with a note, and do anything else that needs to be corrected? Really sorry, for the mistake and now the extra work. Alanscottwalker (talk) 15:14, 7 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]