Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/August 31

This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/August 31.

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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 August 31 article, see Talk:August 31 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.

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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 August 31, 2024
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Picture of the day for August 31, 2024
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Princess Diana's death edit

Latest comment: 17 years ago4 comments2 people in discussion

Princess Diana died on this day. --The Dark Side 20:43, 31 August 2006 (UTC)Reply

See also August 31#Deaths. And please note that we usually don't do deaths here unless the death itself is significant, e.g. assassinations, end of a dynasty, etc. -- PFHLai 23:21, 23 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

Her death is more significant then any other on that day in history. --The Dark Side 22:39, 24 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

With the only changes after her death being subtle (for the paparazzi and for the British royal family), I'll have to say it's a POV that "Her death is more significant then any other". It was a great loss, nonetheless. I might post it on the 10th Anniversary, but please be encouraged to improve her article and get it on the MainPage as a featured article that day next year. -- PFHLai 13:41, 25 September 2006 (UTC)Reply

2012 notes edit

Latest comment: 11 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

New articles (unused): Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1
Omitted: Theodora (11th century); Jack the Ripper; Ngo Dinh Nhu; August 31, 1982 demonstrations in Poland/Gdańsk Agreement; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Included: Republic of Connaught (first appearance); Battle of San Marcial (first appearance); Gleiwitz incident (first appearance); Aero Spacelines Super Guppy (first appearance); Russian apartment bombings (first appearance)

All five articles are making their OTD debuts! —howcheng {chat} 14:46, 30 August 2012 (UTC)Reply

2013 notes edit

Latest comment: 10 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Death of Diana, Princess of Wales (maintenance)
Omitted: Republic of Connacht; Gleiwitz incident; Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
Included: Jack the Ripper (9th appearance, last in 2011; 125th anniversary); Liberal Party of Australia (first appearance); 1982 demonstrations in Poland/Gdańsk Agreement (both: 2nd appearance, last in 2011)
Repeats: Battle of San Marcial (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 200th anniversary); Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:12, 30 August 2013 (UTC)Reply

2014 notes edit

Latest comment: 9 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

New articles (unused): Neutrality Acts of 1930s
Omitted: Jack the Ripper; Liberal Party of Australia; 1982 demonstrations in Poland; Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1
Included: Kinetoscope (3rd appearance, last in 2010; previously appeared on April 14); Gleiwitz incident (3rd appearance, last in 2012; 75th anniversary); Ngô Đình Nhu (3rd appearance, last in 2011); 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision (first appearance)
Repeats: Battle of San Marcial (3rd consecutive appearance; 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:12, 30 August 2014 (UTC)Reply

2015 notes edit

Latest comment: 8 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

New articles (unused): Battle of Loznica (1941)
Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Death of Diana, Princess of Wales
Omitted: Kinetoscope; Gleiwitz incident; Ngô Đình Nhu; 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision
Included: Abdul Hamid II (6th appearance, last in 2008; rescued from Ineligible); Neutrality Acts of 1930s (first appearance; 80th anniversary); Liberal Party of Australia (2nd appearance, last in 2013; 70th anniversary); Aero Spacelines Super Guppy (2nd appearance, last in 2012; 50th anniversary)
Repeats: Battle of San Marcial (4th consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 20:19, 29 August 2015 (UTC)Reply

Musa al-Sadr edit

Latest comment: 7 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

I added a blurb from this article. Please check if we can have it this year. Mhhossein (talk) 05:13, 6 June 2016 (UTC)Reply

2016 notes edit

Latest comment: 7 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Battle of Loznica (1941) (maintenance)
Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Russian apartment bombings
Omitted: Battle of San Marcial; Abdul Hamid II; Neutrality Acts of 1930s; Liberal Party of Australia (ineligible—maintenance); Aero Spacelines Super Guppy
Included: Jack the Ripper (10th appearance, last in 2013); Kinetoscope (4th appearance, last in 2014); Musa al-Sadr (first appearance); 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision (2nd appearance, last in 2014; 30th anniversary); Gleiwitz incident (4th appearance, last in 2014)

—howcheng {chat} 08:22, 30 August 2016 (UTC)Reply

2017 notes edit

Latest comment: 6 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

New articles (unused): Dilma Rousseff
Moved to Ineligible: Battle of San Marcial (maintenance); Abdul Hamid II (maintenance); Ngô Đình Nhu (maintenance); Aero Spacelines Super Guppy (maintenance); 1999 Russian apartment bombings (maintenance)
Omitted: Hari Merdeka (ineligible—maintenance); Trinidad and Tobago (ineligible—maintenance); Jack the Ripper; Musa al-Sadr; 1986 Cerritos mid-air collision (ineligible—maintenance)
Included: Day of Arafah (first appearance); Isle of Wight Festival 1969 (first appearance); 1982 demonstrations in Poland (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Death of Diana, Princess of Wales; (5th appearance, last in 2011; 20th anniversary) Aidan of Lindisfarne (first appearance); Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (first appearance); Sara Ramirez (first appearance)
Repeats: Kinetoscope (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total); Gleiwitz incident (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:54, 31 August 2017 (UTC)Reply

2018 notes edit

Latest comment: 5 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Ngô Đình Nhu
New articles (unused): Julie Maxton
Omitted: Gleiwitz incident; Isle of Wight Festival 1969; 1982 demonstrations in Poland; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales; Aidan of Lindisfarne; Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin; Sara Ramirez
Included: Jack the Ripper (11th appearance, last in 2016); Battle of Loznica (1941) (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible); Musa al-Sadr (2nd appearance, last in 2016; 40th anniversary); Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 (3rd appearance, last in 2013; 20th anniversary); Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i (first appearance); Agnes Bulmer (first appearance); Van Morrison (first appearance)
Repeats: Kinetoscope (3rd consecutive appearance, 6 total)

—howcheng {chat} 16:02, 31 August 2018 (UTC)Reply

2019 notes edit

Latest comment: 4 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Neutrality Acts of the 1930s (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Robert Bacher
Omitted: Battle of Loznica (1941); Musa al-Sadr; Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1; Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Ta'i; Agnes Bulmer; Van Morrison
Included: Malaysia (rescued from Ineligible); Ngô Đình Nhu (4th appearance, last in 2014; 60th anniversary); Isle of Wight Festival 1969 (2nd appearance, last in 2017; 50th anniversary); Dilma Rousseff (first appearance); Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Alma Mahler (first appearance); Mickie James (first appearance; 40th birthday)
Repeats: Jack the Ripper (2nd consecutive appearance, 12 total); Kinetoscope (4th consecutive appearance, 7 total)

—howcheng {chat} 22:55, 6 September 2019 (UTC)Reply

Companion or patner? Plus should non-notable driver be mentioned? edit

Latest comment: 3 years ago2 comments2 people in discussion

For "Diana, Princess of Wales, her companion Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul were killed in a car accident in Paris" I'd change it companion to partner, which is how his article describes their relationship (romantic partner). I also question whether we need to name the driver, who is not notable, and is mentioned only in passing at Death of Diana, Princess of Wales. --_{Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus| reply here} 08:00, 31 August 2020 (UTC)Reply

@Piotrus: Done for future appearances. —howcheng {chat} 17:30, 1 September 2020 (UTC)Reply

2020 notes edit

Latest comment: 3 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Musa al-Sadr (maintenance); 1982 demonstrations in Poland (date not cited)
New articles (unused): Frank Robinson; Queen Rania of Jordan; Norman Kirk
Omitted: Kinetoscope; Ngô Đình Nhu; Isle of Wight Festival 1969; Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin; Alma Mahler; Mickie James
Included: Neutrality Acts of the 1930s (2nd appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); Death of Diana, Princess of Wales (6th appearance, last in 2017); Robert Calder (first appearance); Robert Bacher (first appearance); Sara Ramirez (2nd appearance, last in 2017)
Repeats: Jack the Ripper (3rd consecutive appearance, 13 total); Dilma Rousseff (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 17:29, 1 September 2020 (UTC)Reply

2021 notes edit

Latest comment: 2 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Kwangmyŏngsŏng-1 (maintenance)
Omitted: Jack the Ripper; Neutrality Acts of the 1930s; Death of Diana, Princess of Wales; Dilma Rousseff; Robert Calder; Robert Bacher; Sara Ramirez
Included: Romanian Language Day (first appearance); Murad V (first appearance); Kinetoscope (8th appearance, last in 2019); Anglo-Russian Convention (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Loznica (1941) (2nd appearance, last in 2019; 80th anniversary); Isle of Wight Festival 1969 (3rd appearance, last in 2019); Aidan of Lindisfarne (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Alma Mahler (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Norman Kirk (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 07:35, 1 September 2021 (UTC)Reply

2022 notes edit

Latest comment: 1 year ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Neutrality Acts of the 1930s (maintenance)
Omitted: Murad V; Anglo-Russian Convention; Battle of Loznica (1941); Isle of Wight Festival 1969; Aidan of Lindisfarne; Alma Mahler; Norman Kirk
Included: Jack the Ripper (14th appearance, last in 2020); Ngô Đình Nhu (5th appearance, last in 2019); Death of Diana, Princess of Wales (7th appearance, last in 2020; 25th anniversary); Typhoon Rusa (first appearance; 20th anniversary); Robert Bacher (2nd appearance, last in 2020); Paul Nobuo Tatsuguchi (first appearance); Manon Melis (first appearance)
Repeats: Kinetoscope (2nd consecutive appearance; 9 total; 125th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 18:38, 12 September 2022 (UTC)Reply

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