Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/February 5

Skip to table of contents

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

Civic reception for the Notts County team after their victory in the 2009–10 Football League Two

During the 2009–10 English football season, Notts County F.C. competed in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Shortly before the season began, the club was subject to a high-profile takeover by Munto Finance, which was controlled by a convicted fraudster. The club had been acquired as part of an elaborate scheme to list a fake mining company on the stock exchange. The scheme collapsed and Notts County was left deeply in debt. A further takeover prevented bankruptcy and saw the team winning the League Two championship and promotion to Football League One. The team also fared well in the FA Cup, reaching the last sixteen of the competition. The season saw four different owners, three permanent first-team managers and two spells of interim management. In total, the team played 54 competitive matches, winning 31, drawing 14 and losing nine. Notts County continued to experience off-field problems and the team were relegated to non-League football in 2019. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

view – talk – edit – history – watch

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]

2016 notes

Omitted: 1783 Calabrian earthquakes; 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision; Markale massacres; 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak
Included: 62 Pompeii earthquake (2nd appearance, last in 2014); Bakelite (2nd appearance, last in 2013; rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Keren (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Novye Aldi massacre (2nd appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: Welcome Stranger (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 16:46, 4 February 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Van Gend en Loos v Nederlandse Administratie der Belastingen (maintenance)
Omitted: Kashmir Solidarity Day (ineligible—maintenance); 62 Pompeii earthquake; Welcome Stranger; Battle of Keren; Novye Aldi massacre
Included: 1783 Calabrian earthquakes (4th appearance, last in 2015); Charles XIV John of Sweden (2nd appearance, last in 2004; rescued from Ineligible); Bill Ponsford (3rd appearance, last in 2014); 2009 USS Port Royal grounding (2nd appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: Bakelite (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:24, 5 February 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

New articles (unused): Neymar
Omitted: 1783 Calabrian earthquakes; Charles XIV John of Sweden (ineligible—maintenance); Bill Ponsford; 2009 USS Port Royal grounding
Included: Tulip mania (4th appearance, last in 2016; moved from February 3); Welcome Stranger (5th appearance, last in 2016); 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision (6th appearance, last in 2015; 60th anniversary); 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak (3rd appearance, last in 2015; 10th anniversary); Johan Ludvig Runeberg (first appearance); Peg Entwistle (first appearance); Margaret Oakley Dayhoff (first appearance)
Repeats: Bakelite (3rd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 01:46, 5 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

New articles (ineligible): William Bostock (TFA for 2019)
Omitted: Tulip mania; Bakelite; 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision; 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak; Johan Ludvig Runeberg; Peg Entwistle; Margaret Oakley Dayhoff
Included: 62 Pompeii earthquake (3rd appearance, last in 2016); Immigration Act of 1917 (2nd appearance, last in 2010); Battle of Keren (4th appearance, last in 2016); 2009 USS Port Royal grounding (3rd appearance, last in 2017; 10th anniversary); C. E. Brock (first appearance); Josiah Thomas (first appearance); Neymar (first appearance)
Repeats: Welcome Stranger (2nd consecutive appearance, 6 total; 150th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 17:02, 5 February 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Add

I suggest adding Kashmir Solidarity Day to Feb 5 template. 39.50.212.206 (talk) 03:51, 5 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Done. Thanks for the suggestion! —howcheng {chat} 16:44, 5 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Omitted: 62 Pompeii earthquake; Welcome Stranger; Immigration Act of 1917; Battle of Keren; 2009 USS Port Royal grounding; C. E. Brock; Josiah Thomas; Neymar
Included: Kashmir Solidarity Day (first appearance); 1783 Calabrian earthquakes (5th appearance, last in 2017); Charles XIV John of Sweden (3rd appearance, last in 2017; rescued from Ineligible); Bill Ponsford (4th appearance, last in 2017); 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision (7th appearance, last in 2018); Novye Aldi massacre (3rd appearance, last in 2017; 20th anniversary); Johan Ludvig Runeberg (2nd appearance, last in 2018); William Bostock (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible); Francisco Varallo (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 16:41, 6 February 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Battle of Keren (date not certain)
Omitted: Kashmir Solidarity Day (ineligible—stub); 1783 Calabrian earthquakes; Charles XIV John of Sweden; Bill Ponsford; Novye Aldi massacre; Johan Ludvig Runeberg; William Bostock; Francisco Varallo
Included: AD 62 Pompeii earthquake (4th appearance, last in 2019); Welcome Stranger (7th appearance, last in 2019); Bakelite (5th appearance, last in 2018); 2004 Haitian coup d'état (8th appearance, last in 2014); Philipp Spener (first appearance); Koto Matsudaira (first appearance); Gheorghe Hagi (first appearance)
Repeats: 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision (2nd consecutive appearance, 8 total)

—howcheng {chat} 20:15, 6 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2022 notes

Omitted: AD 62 Pompeii earthquake; Welcome Stranger; Bakelite; 1958 Tybee Island mid-air collision; 2004 Haitian coup d'état; Koto Matsudaira; Gheorghe Hagi
Included: Tulip mania (5th appearance, last in 2018); Charles XIV John (4th appearance, last in 2020); John Edward Bouligny (first appearance); Michael Moutoussis/Aristeidis Moraitinis (aviator) (both: first appearance); Morecambe Bay cockling disaster (first appearance); William Cullen (first appearance); Neymar (2nd appearance, last in 2019; 30th birthday)
Repeats: Philipp Spener (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:24, 6 February 2022 (UTC)[reply]

2023 notes

Copied from WP:ERRORS:

John Edward Bouligny "1861 – In a speech before the U.S. Congress, Representative John Edward Bouligny refused to join his fellow Louisiana congressmen in heeding the state's secession convention and resigning."

I am not clear what the blurb is saying here, is it that all the other congressmen resigned? The article doesn't mention anyone's resignation, just that Bouligny retained his seat until 3 March 1861 - Dumelow (talk) 09:36, 3 February 2023 (UTC)

Firefangledfeathers (talk / contribs) 02:51, 6 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, the three other congressmen (and both senators) resigned or abandoned their seats after Louisiana seceded from the Union at the start of the Civil War. From the lede of the article: "During his term, Louisiana seceded from the Union, but Bouligny remained in Washington and refused to resign. He was the only member of Congress from Louisiana to not resign or vacate his seat after the state seceded." I'll look to make it clear in the body of the article. —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 14:56, 6 February 2023 (UTC)[reply]