Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/May 9

This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/May 9.

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 May 9 article, see Talk:May 9 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 May 9, 2025

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 9, 2025

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Picture of the day for May 9, 2025

United Nations propaganda poster, 1943, depicting the flags of the member nations amidst smoke of a bombardment, with military airplanes, ships and tanks in background. The term "United Nations" was used as a name for the Allied side of World War II from 1942 onward; after VE Day in 1945 the United Nations Organisation was founded, which became the modern United Nations.

United States Office of War Information, poster by Leslie Ragan; restored by Bammesk

Recently featured:

← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/May 8 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/May 10 →

Victory Day

The Victory Day (Eastern Europe) seems to be the only universally accepted and highly regarded Holiday in Russia. I am getting E-mails from the members of the Russian community complaining that it is not visible enough on the Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/May 9. Is it possible to add something Victory-Day related for at least a part of the day? E.g. the poster or anything? abakharev 02:46, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

May I add to this? The good discussion we had over May 7 perhaps is a proof that I always try to be reasonable. I am second on requesting the image and the explicit mention of the event in the text returned. Of course I may be viewing this from my background's perspective, but this is indeed the only holiday not only in Russia, but in Ukraine too, over which most people agree. We have a complicated history which divided people over different background. The Great Patriotic War for the USSR was an event of an unimaginable scale and, despite the victory, a national catastrophe compared to the worst events in the national history. I think this by itself deserves a return, irrespective of the sentiments people have over their (great-(grand))-fathers who died. Would you ammend the page to this version? If something else needs removed, please devide which one, Thanks, --Irpen 02:52, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the message, abakharev & Irpen. I'm aware of the importance of this day. That's why I moved Victory Day on the top line to give it top billing. I don't think the reversion to abakharev's version is a good idea. Links are placed on the MainPage to feature good wikicontent -- what page are being featured ? I thought about having a line about the signing of the capitulation papers, maybe bolding the link to Wilhelm Keitel, a page with the date (a requirement to get on the Sel. Ann. template). Then, I discovered that the formal signing of the capitulation papers actually took place on May 8, not May 9. Can't put that on the Selected Anniversaries template for May 9. .... Can either of you come up with a line with a few internal links, one of which links to a decent page (no stubs, not problem tags like {cleanup} or {NPOV} etc.) with good content including the date 'May 9' ? If so, let me know, and we'll bump the 328 item off. (I hope I won't get e-mails from all the Christians around the world complaining about their Doctors of the Church not being visible enough in Wikipedia.....) The pic of VE3 is used because it's the 60th Anniversary of his abdication, but I'm not dead set on keeping it there. I'd like a different picture every day anyway. For now, I'm thinking about putting Wilhelm Keitel on the May 8 template for 2007......

I have to go to work, guys. Abakharev, since you are an admin, you can edit the protected template. Do whatever you think is best, following the Sel. Anniv guidelnes. Thanks. -- PFHLai 03:24, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've rewritten the 1945 item. I did some more reading and confirmed that the signing in Berlin took place late night on May 8, and was announced on May 9. German Instrument of Surrender, 1945 is a little stubby, but since no one except me observe established guidelines (Haha), it should do for now. Hope it's okay to everyone. (BTW, pls don't tell my boss I am using his computer to surf the 'net again ....) -- PFHLai 08:26, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks a lot! --Irpen 16:47, 9 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dianetics?

The selected list includes mention of the first publication of the book Dianetics by Hubbard. I am not sure that selected anniversaries is the right place to promote books, especially controversial ones. 79.92.68.17 (talk) 08:21, 9 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The point is not to promote the book per se. The point of the selected anniversaries is to list a few events that have some international historical significance or interest, whether these events have been controversial or not. And one could argue that Hubbard and his Dianetics and his Scientology and so forth is one of the most internationally controversial topics to date. Cheers. Zzyzx11 (talk) 17:34, 9 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

2012 notes

New articles (unused): Mihail Kogălniceanu
Omitted: Panic of 1873; Kermit the Frog (ineligible—maintenance); Ngo Dinh Can; Akhmad Kadyrov; Beatification and canonisation of Pope John Paul II
Included: Thomas Blood (7th appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); 1877 Iquique earthquake (first appearance); Second Ostend Raid (first appearance); Hotel Polen fire (first appearance); Westray Mine (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 06:10, 8 May 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

Omitted: 1877 Iquique earthquake; Second Ostend Raid; Hotel Polen fire; Westray Mine; Akhmad Kadyrov
Included: Panic of 1873 (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Mihail Kogălniceanu (first appearance); Combined oral contraceptive pill (first appearance); Habib Elghanian (first appearance); Beatification of Pope John Paul II (2nd appearance, last in 2011)
Repeats: Thomas Blood (2nd consecutive appearance, 8 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:13, 8 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

New articles (unused): Wasteland Speech
Omitted: Victory Day (9 May) (ineligible—maintenance); Panic of 1873; Mihail Kogălniceanu; Combined oral contraceptive pill; Habib Elghanian; Beatification of Pope John Paul II
Included: 1877 Iquique earthquake (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (2nd appearance, last in 2004; had been missing from this page); Ngô Đình Cẩn (3rd appearance, last in 2011; 50th anniversary); Akhmad Kadyrov (5th appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: Thomas Blood (3rd consecutive appearance, 9 total)

—howcheng {chat} 05:47, 8 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: 1877 Iquique earthquake; Rainier III, Prince of Monaco; Ngô Đình Cẩn; Akhmad Kadyrov
Included: Panic of 1873 (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Battle of Aubers Ridge (first appearance; 100th anniversary); Television and the Public Interest (first appearance); Beatification of Pope John Paul II (3rd appearance, last in 2013; 10th anniversary)
Repeats: Thomas Blood (4th consecutive appearance, 10 total)

—howcheng {chat} 08:08, 7 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Omitted: Thomas Blood; Panic of 1873; Battle of Aubers Ridge; Television and the Public Interest; Beatification of Pope John Paul II
Included: Punch and Judy (first appearance); Mihail Kogălniceanu (2nd appearance, last in 2013); Second Ostend Raid (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Combined oral contraceptive pill (2nd appearance, last in 2013); Hotel Polen fire (2nd appearance, last in 2012)

—howcheng {chat} 11:30, 8 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (maintenance); Sunshine Skyway Bridge (maintenance); Akhmad Kadyrov (maintenance)
New articles (ineligible): Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women (maintenance)
Omitted: Europe Day (ineligible—maintenance); Victory Day (9 May) (ineligible—maintenance); Punch and Judy (ineligible—maintenance); Mihail Kogălniceanu; Second Ostend Raid; Combined oral contraceptive pill
Included: Athanasius of Alexandria (3rd appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); 1877 Iquique earthquake (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Ngô Đình Cẩn (4th appearance, last in 2014); Westray Mine (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Shi Pu (first appearance); Zita of Bourbon-Parma (first appearance); Hilde Levi (first appearance)
Repeats: Hotel Polen fire (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total; 40th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 07:55, 9 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Thomas Blood (maintenance); Panic of 1873 (maintenance)
Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Kermit the Frog
New articles (unused): Accra Sports Stadium disaster
Omitted: 1877 Iquique earthquake; Ngô Đình Cẩn; Hotel Polen fire; Westray Mine; Shi Pu; Zita of Bourbon-Parma; Hilde Levi
Included: Mihail Kogălniceanu (3rd appearance, last in 2016); Parliament of Australia (8th appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); Second Ostend Raid (3rd appearance, last in 2016; 100th anniversary); 2012 Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet crash (first appearance); Gaspard Monge (first appearance); Gopal Krishna Gokhale (first appearance); Anthony Wilding (first appearance)
Repeats: Athanasius of Alexandria (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 05:45, 9 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

New articles (ineligible): Billy Joel (maintenance)
Omitted: Athanasius of Alexandria; Mihail Kogălniceanu; Parliament of Australia; Second Ostend Raid; 2012 Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet crash; Gaspard Monge; Gopal Krishna Gokhale; Anthony Wilding
Included: Europe Day (rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Heligoland (1864) (first appearance); 1877 Iquique earthquake (4th appearance, last in 2017); Kermit the Frog (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Habib Elghanian (2nd appearance, last in 2013); Accra Sports Stadium disaster (first appearance); William Bradford (governor) (first appearance); John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair (first appearance); Yukiya Amano (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 17:35, 9 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Gopal Krishna Gokhale (maintenance)
Omitted: Battle of Heligoland (1864); 1877 Iquique earthquake; Kermit the Frog; Habib Elghanian; Accra Sports Stadium disaster; William Bradford (governor); John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair; Yukiya Amano
Included: Victory Day (9 May) (rescued from Ineligible); Athanasius of Alexandria (5th appearance, last in 2018); Battle of Aubers Ridge/Second Battle of Artois (Aubers: 2nd appearance, last in 2015; Artois: first appearance); Combined oral contraceptive pill (3rd appearance, last in 2016; 60th anniversary); 2018 Malaysian general election (first appearance); Maharana Pratap (first appearance); Ferdinand Monoyer (first appearance); Kate Molale (first appearance; 40th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 20:47, 10 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 Notes

Guidelines say that "The event needs to be of moderate to great historical significance". That would include the surrender of Nazi Germany. -BonsMans1 𝑇 𝐶 17:45, 7 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@BonsMans1: German Instrument of Surrender normally appears on May 8, but it has been ineligible since 2017 due to the "Context" section needing more references. —howcheng {chat} 17:09, 10 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Mihail Kogălniceanu (maintenance)
Omitted: Athanasius of Alexandria; Battle of Aubers Ridge; Combined oral contraceptive pill; 2018 Malaysian general election; Maharana Pratap; Ferdinand Monoyer; Kate Molale
Included: 1877 Iquique earthquake (5th appearance, last in 2019); Parliament of Australia (9th appearance, last in 2018); Television and the Public Interest (2nd appearance, last in 2015; 60th anniversary); Accra Sports Stadium disaster (2nd appearance, last in 2019; 20th anniversary); Gaspard Monge (2nd appearance, last in 2018; 275th birthday); Francis Hopkinson (first appearance); Nuala O'Faolain (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 06:48, 11 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2022 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Kermit the Frog (maintenance)
Omitted: 1877 Iquique earthquake; Parliament of Australia; Television and the Public Interest; Accra Sports Stadium disaster; Gaspard Monge; Francis Hopkinson; Nuala O'Faolain
Included: Athanasius of Alexandria (6th appearance, last in 2020); Battle of Heligoland (1864) (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Second Ostend Raid (4th appearance, last in 2018); Westray Mine (3rd appearance, last in 2017; 30th anniversary); 2012 Mount Salak Sukhoi Superjet crash (2nd appearance, last in 2018; 10th anniversary); Al-Adid (first appearance); John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Yukiya Amano (2nd appearance, last in 2019; 75th birthday)

—howcheng {chat} 17:04, 10 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]