Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Biography

"WT:WPBIO" redirects here. For WikiProject Biology, see WT:BIOLOGY.

"WT:BIOGRAPHY" redirects here. For discussion for WP:Notability (biography), see WT:BIO.

Requested moves

• 20 Sep 2019 – Pete Weber (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Pete Weber (bowler) by BD2412 (t · c); see discussion
• 19 Sep 2019 – Gabriela Patricia Chávez (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Gabriela Chávez (footballer) by MonFrontieres (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – Lisa Wilson (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Lesa Wilson by LesaWilson (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – Marta García Lopez (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Marta García (racing driver) by SSSB (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – John Paul Richard Thomas (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Richard Thomas (zoologist) by Micromesistius (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – Alexander Adams (Hawaii) (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Alexander Adams (sailor) by LaundryPizza03 (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – Isaac Davis (Hawaii) (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Isaac Davis (advisor) by LaundryPizza03 (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – John Young (Hawaii) (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to John Young (advisor) by LaundryPizza03 (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – Fan Wen (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Phạm Văn by 67.149.246.163 (t · c); see discussion
• 18 Sep 2019 – Fan Tat (talk · edit · hist) is requested to be moved to Phạm Dật by 67.149.246.163 (t · c); see discussion

(35 more...)

How do I join a WikiProject

I joined Wikipedia as a user a little more than a week ago, and I've been wondering how to join a WikiProject. I wish to join this one for now, I'd be glad to contribute any more to biographies if I can — Preceding unsigned comment added by Portughetti (talk • contribs) 20:19, 28 August 2019 (UTC)

I found out now, sorry about that. Portughetti^talk 20:58, 30 August 2019 (UTC)

Greetings from Milhist!

Hello, all! I'm here to inquire about the possibility of coordinating a milhist drive in the spring with the Women in Red Wikiproject. The proposal is located here, if you'd like more information. Note that at this time nothing is set in stone, I'm merely attempting to get a feel for how much interest there would be for a spring drive and if there is enough to move forward where should the effort be concentrated since as we all know getting people to work on drive related events is difficult at best :) Drop me a line if you have any questions, and if there is interested from this project's members in a cross project drive we'll keep you informed of the developments (if any) at MILHIST. TomStar81 (Talk) 13:33, 31 August 2019 (UTC)

WikiProject Biography

The pages that alphabetically list the names of those with a biography on Wikipedia are helpfully presented. It’s an important project.

However, the presentation of each of these thousands of pages is flawed, because there is an inadequate explanation of the purpose of each page in the page header.

Visitors who accidentally stumble upon one of these pages may thus assume an incorrect understanding of what they have found.

Generally in WikiPedia, lists are a subset of a whole and have a clear heading in bold type explaining what that subset is and, if more than one page is needed, that explanation is set in the header of all those pages.

So, since an accidental visitor to one of these biography pages will bring this understanding of WikiPedia’s approach to page structure, such a visitor is more likely to assume the list they discover is one of biographies of a sub-group (perhaps biographies of birdwatchers) in WikiPedia. They are less likely to assume each page is a part of a list of every biography in WikiPedia.

So, as there is no descriptive heading, the reader of these pages is more likely to think the name of the subset has been erroneously omitted - ‘birdwatchers’ in my example - than to recognise it is in fact the list of all names in this important project.

It should be made more clear at the top of each page what is being displayed.

What’s missing is a succinct explanation stating what the list represents.

As space is at a premium, perhaps the description of the number of pages (>12,000) is less important. After all, if replaced by a brief explanation, then the proportion of visitors that would recognise that there would be many pages is larger than the proportion whi immediately understand that this is a list of all biographies in EikiPedia. Coolcmsc 23:25, 1 September 2019 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Coolcmsc (talk • contribs)

Apologies for the typos in the final sentence.... Coolcmsc 23:28, 1 September 2019 (UTC)

Apologies for the typos in the final sentence.... Coolcmsc 23:29, 1 September 2019 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Coolcmsc (talk • contribs)

Asking for help

Hi, I have an article waiting for a review since April 2019 Draft:Onur Genç. Please, can you help me with some feedback?. I would like to know if the submission is accepted.

Thanks in advance. Comrb (talk) 10:25, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

@Comrb: unfortunately our draft submission backlogs are now several months long. One of the downsides to being a volunteer-only site is that no-one wants to do the boring stuff. By complete coincidence I happened to come across this draft today and just reviewed it, only seeing your message here afterwards. I have explained my reasons for declining the draft on the draft page. Message me at my talk page if you have any questions. — Bilorv (talk) 16:31, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Brock Blomberg Correction

Hi, I'm Tom and I work for Ursinus College (as I indicate on my profile page and at Talk:Brock Blomberg). I've made an account to suggest changes to articles related to the college, which I'll post to the "talk" pages for editor reviews. For my first request, I offered references for currently unsourced and inaccurate text in Brock_Blomberg#Early_life_and_education. I proposed specific changes at Talk:Brock_Blomberg#Sources_for_"Early_life_and_education"_section. Will someone review this request and update the article on my behalf? Thank you! TY Ursinus (talk) 14:50, 4 September 2019 (UTC)

Patrick Hadley

There's an undated comment on Talk:Patrick Hadley that suggests the biographical details may be a copyright violation. Does anybody know if this has been resolved? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.196.204.131 (talk) 08:48, 7 September 2019 (UTC)

Why is my Grandfather missing?

Quote from Peerage.com " Last Edited=11 Jun 2008

    Violet Mabel Fraser is the daughter of Philip Affleck Fraser.1 She married Hon. Robert Francis Carnegie, son of James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk and Lady Susan Catherine Mary Murray, on 26 November 1913.1
    From 26 November 1913, her married name became Carnegie.1

Children of Violet Mabel Fraser and Hon. Robert Francis Carnegie David James Carnegie1 b. 4 Jul 1915, d. 7 Feb 1994 Robert Murray Carnegie+1 b. 3 Jul 1917, d. 18 Dec 1954 John Fraser Carnegie+1 b. 4 Sep 1922, d. 6 Aug 2011

Robert Murray Carnegie was actually assassinated on 19th December 1954. While recovering from minor injuries following a crash of a sabotaged light aircraft. The heater coil to the carburettor was disconnected, so as to cause a stall, while delivering the post. His assassin confessed to me directly. at a BBQ circa 1966/67. He was in floods of tears! so was my Mother killed on the 9th December 1954. ten days earlier. My Father was serving as a Colonial Police Sergeant. Sack loads of Severed hands were being handed in to claim the one Acre of Prime Coffee Plantation Land, confiscated from The Kikuyu Tribe. The Mau Mau Terrorism was perpetrated by Hired Criminals. and had little or nothing to do with the Kikuyu Tribe. and a hell of a lot to do with the pre planned evacuation of Jews who had settled in Palestine. The Soviet Union were prepared to help remove all Jews from Palestine. My Cousin was Chief Foreign Office Secretary for The Palestinian Protectorate. My Assassinated Father was matching the severed hands to Birth Certificate Full Hand Prints. NONE of the hands were from known Terrorists. and most were from tribes other than kikuyu. My Mother had to be killed, and also my Father to keep them quiet. FOR GOOD!

My Father's elder Brother, David James Carnegie, obtained a M>A. in Cinematography, from The Royal College of Art. London, and Became British Pathe News Cinematographer for East Africa. Mu Uncle David was fluent in almost every Kenyan Native Language, and was great friends with Jomo Kenyatta. My Father was also Bodyguard to His Excellency Emperor Haile Selassie.. When Jomo Kenyatta mentioned that I was on holiday at the coast, in the Beach House next to President Jomo Kenyatta. His Excellency The Emperor made an immediate Impromptu State Visit to Kenya, just to meet me in person.

It is little wonder my Grandfather's name has been CENSORED and discarded down the BLACK MEMORY HOLE! ... THE FEAR IS VERY WELL JUSTIFIED! JUSTICE DELAYED MAY BECOME JUSTICE WITH A VERY HEAVY HAND? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.129.112.98 (talk) 12:22, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

Peerage.com is not a very good source, but your grandfather and his descendants are shown in some detail in the most recent (2003) and more auhtoritative 107th edition of Burke's Peerage, vol. 1, pages 1425-1429, under "Fife, Chief of Carnegie", so they are certainly not lost in memory's black hole! AnthonyCamp (talk) 08:37, 10 September 2019 (UTC).

Jake D`Arcy Scottish Actor

I can confirm that Jake D`Arcy -Scottish Actor, was a friend and work colleague of mine prior to his acting career. I knew him as John Sinclair "Sinkie" and we were apprentices at Harland & Wolff Ltd in Glasgow in the 1960s. John and I became time-served Mechanical Fitters and John left engineering almost immediately to go to drama college. He was "into acting" for as long as I knew him during his engineering days. At that time he lived in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow. He also "rubbed shoulders" with the great Billy Connolly who was in the engineering/shipbuilding days in the 1960s on Clydeside.

I can also confirm that I attended Jake/John`s funeral in 2015 at Lambhill Crematorium in Glasgow, where I believe I was the only non-showbusiness mourner at the funeral. Many of the cast of "Still Game" and other actors that I recognised at the funeral. The funeral words about John did mention that he had originally started out as an engineer with Harland & Wolff Ltd on Clydeside. With John Sinclair having been a great friend from the past and knowing how good a person he was, I felt I had to travel up from my home in England to attend this sad event and I had the time and will to do so, as I am now a retired engineer. Frank Watson — Preceding unsigned comment added by Flying Keo (talk • contribs) 15:58, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

участник стерт в Борисов РКЦ рсдрп Венецианским КрЭст Ом — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.125.53.57 (talk) 12:59, 14 September 2019 (UTC)

RFC: Merging CoreBios into Vital Articles project?

An RfC on this topic has been started. It can be found here pbp 00:02, 15 September 2019 (UTC)

Birth date confusion

John Penn (North Carolina politician) was a signatory to the United States Declaration of Independence. Penn's DoB is unclear. I'm hoping someone would be able to find a reference to clarify that date, and whether that date is old style or new style. Please see Talk:John Penn (North Carolina politician)#Date of birth. Johnuniq (talk) 07:36, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

TfD notification

2 templates used by this project, Template:BLP and Template:BLPO, are being considered for either, deletion or merging. In case you had not noticed before, you can join to the relevant discussion. © Tbhotch^™ (en-2.5). 22:48, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

A noob seeking guidance

I'm interested in writing biographies but I need beginner advice. I'm quite overwhelmed on the amount of sources on particular topics and need advice on how to filter through and find the most key and relevant information, compile it, and write Good Articles as quickly and efficiently as possible. Has anyone written any essays to help?

Some background, I come from WikiProject Video Games where I've written over 50 Good Articles. Overall, I've got the video game article writing down to a science so I've been able to output articles like a machine. I know the article format well, and I know which sources to use, where to track them down, and what information is relevant. I find it difficult to retain and verify content already existing in the article when I start, so I always opt to rewrite the whole article instead.

When I look at Biographies, the sheer amount of sources available intimidates me. Say for example, I want to rewrite Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Even if I just stick to high quality text sources, the amount of books written about her is just insane. I can't conceivably read every book and take notes. What if I miss something important? What approach do you all use when you write articles from top to bottom? TarkusAB^talk/contrib 22:53, 16 September 2019 (UTC)

I generally prefer to work on less prominent topics than that. However, once someone becomes famous enough, you can start looking for tertiary sources that identify the major topics discussed by secondary sources. You can then summarize what that source says and expand on it with secondary sources. NinjaRobotPirate (talk) 04:15, 17 September 2019 (UTC)

Interesting take, thank you. TarkusAB^talk/contrib 13:31, 17 September 2019 (UTC)

Now recruiting

I'm looking for participants for a possible new wikiproject H. P. Lovecraft, to tag and improve articles relating to the horror writer.--Auric talk 09:50, 17 September 2019 (UTC)

Kathleen Murphy Article

Hi, my name is Meghan and I would like to help fix the Kathleen Murphy article by making it more neutral and fully sourced. It should be known that I am employed by Fidelity Investments, so I have a financial conflict of interest. I have familiarized myself with the rules surrounding this circumstance and will always state my conflict of interest, never edit articles directly where I have a COI, and post only to Talk pages. I have good intentions and want to make fair, neutral edits to the article.

My original post on the Kathleen Murphy Talk page is called "Improved Professional career section". Are there editors here that will please take a look at my request? Have feedback? Let's talk! Thank you. FidelityMJ (talk) 12:39, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Request for input on edit dispute: Tressie McMillan Cottom

Hello there. Over at Tressie McMillan Cottom's article Talk page, @Noq and I can't see eye to eye on whether a particular award should be included in the article for Dr. McMillan Cottom. We've hit a stalemate and I'm wondering whether anyone here could weigh in and help nudge our disagreement to an end. I'm also posting this same message at the WikiProject Women Writers talk page and the WikiProject Sociology talk page, each as projects listed at Dr. McMillan Cottom's article's talk page as having an interest in her article. (Edit conflict is new to me, so my apologies if I'm going about this wrong.) Triplingual (talk) 01:55, 19 September 2019 (UTC)