Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 5

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This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/February 5.

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 5 article, see Talk:February 5 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 5, 2025

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 5, 2025

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Picture of the day for February 5, 2025

Sojourner Truth, born Isabella Baumfree, (c. 1797 – 1883) was an American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights, women's rights, and alcohol temperance. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son in 1828, she became the first black woman to win such a case against a white man. This cabinet card of Truth was produced in around 1864, and is now in the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Photograph credit: unknown; restored by Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 4 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 6 →

2012 notes

Omitted: Constitution of Mexico, Bill Ponsford, 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision, Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (blurb previous featured direct effect)
Included: Welcome Stranger (first appearance), Battle of Keren (first appearance), Novye Aldi massacre (first appearance), 2009 USS Port Royal grounding (first appearance
Repeats: 1783 Calabrian earthquakes (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:17, 4 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Addendum: Constitution of Mexico added for Main Page balance. —howcheng {chat} 00:42, 5 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

New articles (unused): 62 Pompeii earthquake
Omitted: 1783 Calabrian earthquakes; Constitution of Mexico; Battle of Keren; Novye Aldi massacre; 2009 USS Port Royal grounding
Included: Bakelite (first appearance); Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (first appearance; 50th anniversary); Third Punic War (first appearance); 2004 Haitian coup d'état (6th appearance, last in 2009; rescued from Ineligible)
Repeats: Welcome Stranger (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:39, 4 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Constitution of Mexico (maintenance)
Omitted: Welcome Stranger; Bakelite (ineligible—maintenance); Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen; Third Punic War (deleted—not a very good date for this article)
Included: 62 Pompeii earthquake (first appearance); Bill Ponsford (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Battle of Keren (2nd appearance, last in 2012); 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak (first appearance)
Repeats: 2004 Haitian coup d'état (2nd consecutive appearance, 7 total; 10th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 10:31, 4 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2014 error

Quote: "2008 – Eighty-seven tornadoes {...} killing 56 deaths {...}." How does one kill a death? --Stizzleswick (talk) 00:14, 5 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Sorted. Thanks for noticing. Now sure how I noticed "Eight-seven" (as it read when it first went up) and not this. Dpmuk (talk) 00:19, 5 February 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: 62 Pompeii earthquake; Bill Ponsford; Battle of Keren; 2004 Haitian coup d'état
Included: Kashmir Solidarity Day (rescued from Ineligible); 1783 Calabrian earthquakes (3rd appearance, last in 2012); Welcome Stranger (3rd appearance, last in 2013); 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision (4th appearance, last in 2011); Markale massacres (first appearance)
Repeats: 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:50, 4 February 2015 (UTC)[reply]