Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 19

Skip to table of contents

This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/February 19.

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 February 19 article, see Talk:February 19 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?

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.

Today's featured article for February 19, 2025
Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 19, 2025 create – talk – watch
Picture of the day for February 19, 2025
The featured picture for this day has not yet been chosen. In general, pictures of the day are scheduled in order of promotion to featured status. See Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Guidelines for full guidelines. create

← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 18 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 20 →

EastEnders

The British soap opera EastEnders celebrates its 25th anniversary this year on this date. Is it ok for it to be included? AnemoneProjectors (talk) 19:41, 17 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

As of now, it all depends (based on what is currently being discussed on WT:TFAR#Old Trafford (19 February 2010; 8/11 points?)) on if an EastEnders-related article actually gets approved for Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 19, 2010. Then it would be basically the same reason why the 20th anniv of The Simpsons was not posted on the same day as when Homer Simpson was selected for Wikipedia:Today's featured article/December 17, 2009: an event is generally not posted if it is also the subject of this year's scheduled featured article. Cheers. Zzyzx11 (talk) 21:06, 17 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I thought that might be the case, but I think I'll go for 26 February for TFA. AnemoneProjectors (talk) 21:26, 17 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Mir

It'll be the 25th anniversary of the launch of the first module of Mir this year, could this be included? Colds7ream (talk) 13:06, 6 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

70th Anniversary of the Darwin Bombings

Its the third most important event in Australian history and yet book burnings in Canada are considered more historical???!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Collingwood26 (talk • contribs) 03:43, 19 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Please see item 1 of the FAQ (above). Bombing of Darwin happened to be on last year, so it's off the Main Page this year. If we're speaking about 70th anniversaries, that's also the case for Japanese American internment, one of the most shameful events in recent US history, but as one WW2 event is already listed, I'm reluctant to add another. The other factor that comes into play is that we tend to give preference to articles that are making their first appearance (as is the case of If Day) over those being repeated. —howcheng {chat} 09:57, 19 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

No you tend to give preference to Americans, I can see how much you hate Australians. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.189.192.240 (talk) 03:05, 21 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

<sarcasm>Oh yes, Aussies killed my dog. That's the source of my undying hatred for Australians. That, and the Wiggles.</sarcasm> If you hadn't noticed, If Day was a Canadian event. And besides, I wasn't the one who added it. —howcheng {chat} 17:14, 21 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cathy Lane

Cathy Lane b. 2/19/1965 entry redirects to an entry for "The Patty Duke Show." Ms. Lane, a competitive swimmer, happens to have the same name as one of two characters played by Patty Duke on the show. Either an entry should be created for the real Cathy Lane or her name ought to be deleted from the list.```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.57.43.201 (talk) 05:10, 19 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

This applies to the February 19 article (not this page), but I have removed the entry from the list. —howcheng {chat} 09:57, 19 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2012 notes

Moved to Ineligible: EastEnders (maintenance)
Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Japanese American internment
Omitted: Huaynaputina, Enigma tornado outbreak, Old Trafford, Bombing of Darwin, Mir
Included: Third Anglo-Dutch War (2nd appearance, last in 2005; rescued from Ineligible), Battle of the Gebora (3rd appearance, last in 2010), If Day (first appearance), The Feminine Mystique (first appearance), Henry Ossian Flipper (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 10:13, 19 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

Omitted: Third Anglo-Dutch War; Battle of the Gebora; If Day; Henry Ossian Flipper
Included: Armed Forces Day in Mexico (new observance); Huaynaputina (4th appearance, last in 2011); Yekatit 12 (first appearance); Japanese American internment (2nd appearance, last in 2010); Pasta de Conchos mine disaster (first appearance)
Repeats: The Feminine Mystique (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 50th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 19:39, 18 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

New articles (unused): Aaron Burr
Omitted: Huaynaputina; Yekatit 12; Japanese American internment; The Feminine Mystique; Pasta de Conchos mine disaster
Included: Third Anglo-Dutch War (3rd appearance, last in 2012); Enigma tornado outbreak (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Bombing of Darwin (7th appearance, last in 2011); 1965 South Vietnamese coup (first appearance); Belitung shipwreck (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 06:45, 18 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: Third Anglo-Dutch War; Enigma tornado outbreak; Bombing of Darwin; Belitung shipwreck
Included: Huaynaputina (5th appearance, last in 2013); Aaron Burr (5th appearance, last in 2006; previously appeared on May 22); Old Trafford (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Mir (7th appearance, last in 2011)
Repeats: 1965 South Vietnamese coup (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 50th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 08:16, 17 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Omitted: Huaynaputina; Aaron Burr; Old Trafford; 1965 South Vietnamese coup
Included: Third Anglo-Dutch War (4th appearance, last in 2014); Battle of the Gebora (4th appearance, last in 2012); Internment of Japanese Americans (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Pasta de Conchos mine disaster (2nd appearance, last in 2013; 10th anniversary)
Repeats: Mir (2nd consecutive appearance, 8 total; 30th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 07:59, 17 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Enigma tornado outbreak (maintenance)
Omitted: Third Anglo-Dutch War; Mir; Pasta de Conchos mine disaster
Included: Huaynaputina (6th appearance, last in 2015); Bombing of Darwin (8th appearance, last in 2014; 75th anniversary); Belitung shipwreck (2nd appearance, last in 2014); Nicolaus Copernicus (first appearance); Joseph Szigeti (first appearance)
Repeats: Battle of the Gebora (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total); Executive Order 9066/Internment of Japanese Americans (9066: 4th appearance, last in 2007; Internment: 2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total; 75th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 08:28, 19 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Third Anglo-Dutch War (maintenance); Aaron Burr (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Apodaca prison riot
Omitted: Bombing of Darwin; Executive Order 9066; Belitung shipwreck; Nicolaus Copernicus; Joseph Szigeti
Included: Old Trafford (3rd appearance, last in 2015); Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence (first appearance; 70th anniversary); Henry Ossian Flipper (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Dorothe Engelbretsdatter (first appearance); Émilie Gamelin (first appearance); Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama (first appearance)
Repeats: Huaynaputina (2nd consecutive appearance, 6 total); Battle of the Gebora (3rd consecutive appearance, 6 total)

—howcheng {chat} 22:51, 19 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

New articles (unused): Operation Washtub (Nicaragua)
Omitted: Old Trafford; Conference of Youth and Students of Southeast Asia Fighting for Freedom and Independence; Dorothe Engelbretsdatter; Émilie Gamelin; Choekyi Gyaltsen, 10th Panchen Lama
Included: If Day (2nd appearance, last in 2012); 1965 South Vietnamese coup (3rd appearance, last in 2015); Thomas Arundel (first appearance); Mary Dilys Glynne (first appearance); Sylvia Rivera (first appearance)
Repeats: Huaynaputina (3rd consecutive appearance, 8 total); Battle of the Gebora (4th consecutive appearance, 7 total); Henry Ossian Flipper (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total; 20th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 16:59, 19 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Omitted: Huaynaputina; If Day; 1965 South Vietnamese coup; Henry Ossian Flipper; Thomas Arundel; Mary Dilys Glynne; Sylvia Rivera
Included: Treaty of Westminster (1674)/Third Anglo-Dutch War (Treaty: first appearance; War: 5th appearance, last in 2016; rescued from Ineligible); Yekatit 12 (2nd appearance, last in 2013); 1954 transfer of Crimea (first appearance); Apodaca prison riot (first appearance); Elizabeth Carter (2nd appearance, last in 2017; also appears on December 16, her birthday); Lydia Thompson (first appearance); Sócrates (first appearance)
Repeats: Battle of the Gebora (5th consecutive appearance, 8 total)

—howcheng {chat} 16:47, 20 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Joseph Szigeti (maintenance)
Omitted: Yekatit 12; 1954 transfer of Crimea; Apodaca prison riot; Elizabeth Carter; Lydia Thompson; Sócrates
Included: Huaynaputina (9th appearance, last in 2019); Old Trafford (4th appearance, last in 2018); Belitung shipwreck (3rd appearance, last in 2017; 10th anniversary); Nicolaus Copernicus (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Mary Dilys Glynne (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Harper Lee (first appearance)
Repeats: Third Anglo-Dutch War (2nd consecutive appearance, 6 total; blurb previously also featured Treaty of Westminster (1674), which is currently ineligible); Battle of the Gebora (6th consecutive appearance, 9 total)

—howcheng {chat} 18:46, 20 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2022 notes

Omitted: Battle of the Gebora; Old Trafford; Belitung shipwreck; Nicolaus Copernicus; Mary Dilys Glynne; Harper Lee
Included: Bombing of Darwin (9th appearance, last in 2017; 80th anniversary); Apodaca prison riot (2nd appearance, last in 2020; 10th anniversary); Thomas Arundel (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Émilie Gamelin (3rd appearance, last in 2018); Sylvia Rivera (2nd appearance, last in 2019; 20th anniversary)
Repeats: Huaynaputina (2nd consecutive appearance, 10 total); Third Anglo-Dutch War (3rd consecutive appearance, 7 total)

—howcheng {chat} 08:10, 20 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]