Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/January 2

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This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/January 2.

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 January 2 article, see Talk:January 2 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 January 2, 2025

Benjamin Jackson (January 2, 1835 – August 20, 1915) was a Canadian sailor and farmer who was a decorated veteran of the American Civil War. He began his career as a commercial seaman at 16 years old and started a farm in his mid twenties. During the American Civil War, he served for a year in the Union Navy and was deployed in the Union blockade of the Confederate coastline. As a gun captain aboard the USS Richmond, he served in the Battle of Mobile Bay. He disarmed multiple naval mines and once picked up a live grenade and threw it from the deck of the Richmond. He likely earned an enlistment bounty, as well as prize money by capturing multiple blockade runners. He developed bronchitis, suffered a serious hand injury, and eventually received a Civil War Campaign Medal. After the war, he lived the rest of his life in Lockhartville, Nova Scotia. He retired from commercial sailing in 1875 but continued managing his farm. His grave remained unmarked until 2010, when a headstone was erected. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

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Picture of the day for January 2, 2025

Duck and Cover is a 1951 American civil defense animated and live action social guidance film that is often mischaracterized as propaganda. It has similar themes to the more adult-oriented civil defense training films. It was widely distributed to United States schoolchildren in the 1950s, and teaches students what to do in the event of a nuclear explosion.

film credit: Anthony Rizzo

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← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/January 1 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/January 3 →

eu interwiki

Please, can somebody (an administrator) add the interwikis to this kind of templates (selected anniversaries templates) if it is possible? Only the month of january yet. I would do it myself but it's impossible. The interwiki of this day is [[eu:Txantiloi:Urtarrila 2]] and the next days are similar; only changes the number ([[eu:Txantiloi:Urtarrila 3]], [[eu:Txantiloi:Urtarrila 4]]... ...[[eu:Txantiloi:Urtarrila 31]]). Thanks in advance. If there are any trouble, my talk page is always open for questions. Berria · (talk) 14:08, 31 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've added it to this page. For the rest, I'll copy your request to the bot masters page; this is not a job for a human, if at all possible. JesseW, the juggling janitor 22:04, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Falkland Islands

Not sure who lifted the fact on 2/1/2010 but the text related to the Falkland Islands is wrong. The British squadron of 2 ships arrived in the islands at Port Egmont in December 1832. A single ship, HMS Clio then went to Puerto Luis/Port Louis arriving January 2. Justin talk 00:55, 3 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

2012 notes

New articles (unused): Sago Mine disaster
Omitted: Pope John II (ineligible—short), Duquesne Spy Ring (ineligible—maintenance), Landing at Saidor, Luis Muñoz Marín, Sharon Pratt Kelly
Included: Palmer Raids (first appearance), Llandaff Cathedral (first appearance), Ibrox disaster (first appearance), 81P/Wild (first appearance)
Left in: Alamanni (8th consecutive appearance, 8 total)

--howcheng {chat} 20:59, 1 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

Deleted: Niagara Falls (date/fact not in article)
New articles (unused): Gale of January 1976
Omitted: Alemanni; Palmer Raids; Llandaff Cathedral; 1971 Ibrox disaster; 81P/Wild
Included: Battle of the Assunpink Creek (3rd appearance, last in 2010); Luis Muñoz Marín (5th appearance, last in 2011); Battle of Ap Bac (first appearance); Peter Sutcliffe (first appearance); Sago Mine disaster (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 22:59, 31 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Alemanni (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Lalit Narayan Mishra
Omitted: Luis Muñoz Marín; Peter Sutcliffe (ineligible—maintenance); 81P/Wild; Sago Mine disaster
Included: Llandaff Cathedral (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Ronald Reagan (3rd appearance, last in 2005); Gale of January 1976 (first appearance)
Repeats: Battle of the Assunpink Creek (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total); Battle of Ap Bac (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 50th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 07:38, 1 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: Battle of the Assunpink Creek; Llandaff Cathedral; Ronald Reagan; Gale of January 1976
Included: Palmer Raids (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Landing at Saidor (2nd appearance, last in 2011; 70th anniversary); 1971 Ibrox disaster (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Peter Sutcliffe (2nd appearance, last in 2013; rescued from Ineligible); 81P/Wild (3rd appearance, last in 2013; 10th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 07:25, 31 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Luis Muñoz Marín (maintenance)
Omitted: Landing at Saidor; 1971 Ibrox disaster; Peter Sutcliffe
Included: Battle of the Assunpink Creek (5th appearance, last in 2014); Battle of Ap Bac (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Lalit Narayan Mishra (first appearance; 40th anniversary)
Repeats: Palmer Raids (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total); 81P/Wild (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 08:42, 31 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Ronald Reagan (maintenance); Peter Sutcliffe (maintenance); Sago Mine disaster (maintenance)
Omitted: Palmer Raids; Lalit Narayan Mishra; 81P/Wild
Included: Llandaff Cathedral (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Gale of January 1976 (2nd appearance, last in 2014); Sharon Pratt Kelly (2nd appearance, last in 2011)
Repeats: Battle of the Assunpink Creek (2nd consecutive appearance, 6 total); Battle of Ap Bac (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:06, 2 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

For 2018

Please note there was an inconclusive discussion about the accuracy of one of the statements, which should be investigated before next year. Sam Walton (talk) 18:10, 2 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Blurb shortened to remove the damage amount. —howcheng {chat} 01:32, 2 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Vulcan (hypothetical planet) (maintenance); 1971 Ibrox disaster (maintenance); Lalit Narayan Mishra (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Nimr al-Nimr/Execution of Nimr al-Nimr
Omitted: Battle of the Assunpink Creek; Battle of Ap Bac; Gale of January 1976; Sharon Pratt Kelly (ineligible—maintenance)
Included: Trunajaya rebellion (first appearance); Siege of Paysandú (first appearance); Ronald Reagan (4th appearance, last in 2014; rescued from Ineligible); 81P/Wild (5th appearance, last in 2016); William de St-Calais (first appearance); Queen Emma of Hawaii (first appearance); Beatrice Hicks (first appearance)
Repeats: Llandaff Cathedral (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 01:31, 2 January 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

Omitted: Siege of Paysandú; Llandaff Cathedral; Ronald Reagan; Stardust (spacecraft); William de St-Calais; Queen Emma of Hawaii; Beatrice Hicks
Included: Pope John II (7th appearance, last in 2011; rescued from Ineligible); Palmer Raids (4th appearance, last in 2016); Peter Sutcliffe (3rd appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); Nimr al-Nimr/Execution of Nimr al-Nimr/2016 Saudi Arabia mass execution (all: first appearance); Salima Sultan Begum (first appearance); Mily Balakirev (first appearance); Norodom Ranariddh (first appearance)
Repeats: Trunajaya rebellion (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:31, 2 January 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Duquesne Spy Ring (maintenance)
Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Sharon Pratt
New articles (unused): Michael Tippett; Hester C. Jeffrey
Omitted: Pope John II; Trunajaya rebellion; Peter Sutcliffe; Nimr al-Nimr/Execution of Nimr al-Nimr/2016 Saudi Arabia mass execution; Salima Sultan Begum; Mily Balakirev; Norodom Ranariddh
Included: Granada War (4th appearance, last in 2019; blurb previously featured Reconquista, which is currently ineligible; also appears on November 25); Siege of Paysandú (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Luna 1 (4th appearance, last in 2007; rescued from Ineligible); Gale of January 1976 (3rd appearance, last in 2017); Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza (first appearance); Bob Marshall (wilderness activist) (first appearance); Edgar Martínez (first appearance)
Repeats: Palmer Raids (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total; 100th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 03:56, 4 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Pope John II (maintenance); Peter Sutcliffe (maintenance)
New articles (ineligible): Castle of Good Hope (maintenance)
Omitted: Basil of Caesarea (ineligible—maintenance); Granada War (deleted—moved back to original date); Siege of Paysandú; Palmer Raids; Luna 1; Gale of January 1976; Luisa Carvajal y Mendoza; Bob Marshall (wilderness activist); Edgar Martínez
Included: Battle of the Assunpink Creek (7th appearance, last in 2017); Llandaff Cathedral (5th appearance, last in 2017; 80th anniversary); Sharon Pratt (3rd appearance, last in 2017; 30th anniversary); Nimr al-Nimr (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Salima Sultan Begum (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Michael Tippett (first appearance); Lynn Conway (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 23:30, 3 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2022 notes

Omitted: Battle of the Assunpink Creek; Llandaff Cathedral; Sharon Pratt; 'Nimr al-Nimr/Execution of Nimr al-Nimr; Salima Sultan Begum; Michael Tippett; Lynn Conway
Included: Basil of Caesarea (rescued from Ineligible); Pope John II (8th appearance, last in 2019; rescued from Ineligible); Trunajaya rebellion (3rd appearance, last in 2019); Vulcan (hypothetical planet) (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible); Landing at Saidor (3rd appearance, last in 2015); Battle of Ap Bac (5th appearance, last in 2017); Lodomer (first appearance); Tex Rickard (first appearance); Dnyaneshwar Agashe (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 07:16, 3 January 2022 (UTC)[reply]