Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/December 26

Skip to table of contents

This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/December 26.

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 December 26 article, see Talk:December 26 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 December 26, 2024

Tony Cascarino, Gillingham's leading scorer in 1984–85

During Gillingham F.C.'s 1984–85 season, they competed in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the 53rd season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 35th since they were voted back into the league in 1950. Gillingham started the season with five wins in the first seven games and were challenging for a place in the top three of the league table, which would result in promotion to the Second Division. The team's performances then declined, and by November they were in mid-table. They won 12 out of 16 games to go back up to second place, before a poor run in March meant that they again dropped out of the promotion places. Gillingham finished the season fourth in the table, missing promotion by one place. They also competed in three knock-out competitions, winning no trophies, but won three times to reach the fourth round of the 1984–85 FA Cup before losing. The team played 56 competitive matches, and won 30. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

view – talk – edit – history – watch

Picture of the day for December 26, 2024

Amphipoea oculea, the ear moth, is a moth in the family Noctuidae, with a wingspan of 29 to 34 millimetres (1.1 to 1.3 inches). Its range includes southern England, where it is widespread and common, as well as Ireland and continental Europe, with the exception of Albania, Greece and Turkey. Adults are found from June to September depending on the location, with one generation occurring per year. At night the moths come to light and flowers, seeking honeydew and sugar. During the day they feed at the flowers of thistles and ragwort. This female A. oculea moth was photographed feeding on field scabious in Keila, Estonia. The photograph was focus-stacked from 22 separate images.

Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus

Recently featured:

← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/December 25 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/December 27 →

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake should definitely be included in Selected anniversaries, as it was "among the deadliest disasters in modern history". Phoenix2 02:34, 23 May 2005 (UTC)[reply]

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake killed 2,30,000 people. The Wikipedia article is 86,737 bytes long, and quite detailed. Should certainly be included. Jose Mathew C (talk) 07:49, 26 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

USSR

IMHO, "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" looks stupid by itself (if you know that term, you know it means USSR, and vice versa), more so when it's a link, more so when the links are generally bold (instead of the initials appearing bolded, the rest of the words appear unbolded). Can we make it "Union of Societ Socialist Republics" or at worst "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the USSR)"? Or even "Soviet Union (the USSR)"?

And the wording is unclear. Took me a second to realize that you were talking about the collapse of the USSR, not about some random technical action by the Supreme Soviet. What about simply "[[1991] - Fall of the Soviet Union: The Supreme Soviet officially dissolved itself."?

Edit protected request

{{editprotected}} Please disambiguate the following:

Gaiety Theatre to Gaiety Theatre, London
Mach to Mach number --Auntof6 (talk) 02:47, 26 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. --Auntof6 (talk) 02:47, 26 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Done Skier Dude (talk 04:47, 26 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

2011 notes

Removed: Battle of Trenton—combined with Washington's crossing of the Delaware on December 25
New articles (unused): Donner Party
Swapped out: Battle of Pułtusk/Battle of Golymin, Thespis (opera), Jack Johnson (boxer), Tupolev Tu-144
Swapped in: Richmond Theatre fire (first appearance, 200th anniversary), Decembrist revolt (moved from December 14 (Julian date), 2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total), Flannan Isles (first appearance)
Left in: 2006 Hengchun earthquake (3rd consecutive appearance, 3 total)—this is a triple-feature with 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and 2003 Bam earthquake, although they are not in bold because 2004 needs maintenance, and it would be odd to have 2003 bold but not 2004

--howcheng {chat} 20:52, 25 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

2012 notes

Deleted: Donner Party (moved to May 12)
Moved to Ineligible: Jack Johnson (boxer) (maintenance); Flamingo Las Vegas (maintenance); Tupolev Tu-144 (maintenance)
Omitted: Richmond Theatre fire; Decembrist revolt; Flannan Isles
Included: King Lear (4th appearance, last in 2009; rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Chickasaw Bayou (first appearance; 150th anniversary); Babe Ruth (4th appearance, last in 2006; previously appeared on April 22); Dissolution of the Soviet Union (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible)
Repeats: 2006 Hengchun earthquake/2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/2003 Bam earthquake (2006: 4th consecutive appearance, 4 total; 2004: 4th appearance, last in 2008, rescued from Ineligible; 2003: first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 09:42, 25 December 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

Omitted: King Lear; Battle of Chickasaw Bayou; Babe Ruth; Dissolution of the Soviet Union (ineligible—maintenance); 2006 Hengchun earthquake/2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami/2003 Bam earthquake
Included: Decembrist revolt (3rd appearance, last in 2011); Thespis (opera) (2nd appearance, last in 2010); Radium (4th appearance, last in 2009); Murder of JonBenét Ramsey (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 08:31, 25 December 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Omitted: Thespis (opera); Radium; Murder of JonBenét Ramsey
Included: Battle of Pułtusk/Battle of Golymin (both: 3rd appearance, last in 2009); Flannan Isles (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Jose Maria Sison (first appearance); 1996–97 strikes in South Korea (first appearance)
Repeats: Decembrist revolt (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:31, 24 December 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: Battle of Pułtusk/Battle of Golymin; Flannan Isles; Jose Maria Sison (ineligible—maintenance); 1996–97 strikes in South Korea
Included: King Lear (5th appearance, last in 2012); Radium (5th appearance, last in 2013); Babe Ruth/Curse of the Bambino (Ruth: 5th appearance; Curse: 2nd appearance; both last in 2012); Dissolution of the Soviet Union (2nd appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: Decembrist revolt (3rd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 08:14, 24 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Battle of Trenton

The Battle of Trenton was fought on the morning of December 26. It can cause confusion with readers by listing it on December 25. (e.g. Special:Diff/600294847) Also, the crossing of the Delaware was completed in the early, pre-dawn hours of December 26, not the 25th. Consider listing both on the 26th. Thanks, Zeete (talk) 11:51, 24 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

@Zeete: OK, point taken.

Done. —howcheng {chat} 01:17, 25 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Tupolev Tu-144
Omitted: King Lear; Decembrist revolt; Radium; Babe Ruth/Curse of the Bambino; Dissolution of the Soviet Union
Included: George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River/Battle of Trenton (Crossing: 8th appearance; Trenton: 3rd appearance; both last in 2014; moved from December 25); Thespis (opera) (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Flannan Isles (3rd appearance, last in 2014); 1996–97 strikes in South Korea (2nd appearance, last in 2014; 20th anniversary); 2006 Hengchun earthquakes/2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami/2003 Bam earthquake (2006 & 2004: 5th appearance; 2003: 2nd appearance; all last in 2012)

—howcheng {chat} 09:54, 25 December 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Battle of Golymin (maintenance); Decembrist revolt (maintenance); Tupolev Tu-144 (maintenance); Dissolution of the Soviet Union (maintenance)
Omitted: Saint Stephen's Day (ineligible—maintenance); George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River/Battle of Trenton; Thespis (opera); 2006 Hengchun earthquakes/2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami/2003 Bam earthquake
Included: King Lear (6th appearance, last in 2015); Pierre Curie/Marie Curie/Radium (Pierre: first appearance; Marie: 4th appearance, last in 2006; Radium: 6th appearance, last in 2015); Babe Ruth (6th appearance, last in 2015; blurb also previously featured Curse of the Bambino, which is now ineligible)); Rose Lok (first appearance); Seth Warner (first appearance); Elizabeth David (first appearance)
Repeats: Flannan Isles Lighthouse (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total); 1996–97 strikes in South Korea (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 01:56, 27 December 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Moved to Ineligible: 2006 Hengchun earthquakes/2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami/2003 Bam earthquake (2004: maintenance)
Omitted: Flannan Isles Lighthouse; Babe Ruth; 1996–97 strikes in South Korea; Rose Lok; Seth Warner; Elizabeth David
Included: Richmond Theatre fire (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Thespis (opera) (4th appearance, last in 2016); Death of JonBenét Ramsey (2nd appearance, last in 2013); Reginald Fitz Jocelin (first appearance); Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm (first appearance); Ram Swarup (first appearance)
Repeats: King Lear (2nd consecutive appearance; 7 total); Pierre Curie/Marie Curie/Radium (2nd consecutive appearance; Pierre: 2 total; Marie: 6 total; Radium: 7 total)

—howcheng {chat} 21:36, 26 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

Omitted: King Lear; Richmond Theatre fire; Thespis (opera); Pierre Curie/Marie Curie/Radium; Death of JonBenét Ramsey; Reginald Fitz Jocelin; Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm; Ram Swarup
Included: George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River/Battle of Trenton (Crossing: 9th appearance; Battle: 4th appearance; both last in 2016); Decembrist revolt (4th appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); Babe Ruth (7th appearance, last in 2017; 100th anniversary); 1996–97 strikes in South Korea (4th appearance, last in 2017); Masrur al-Balkhi (first appearance); Bazoline Estelle Usher (first appearance); Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 17:15, 27 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Omitted: George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River/Battle of Trenton; Babe Ruth; 1996–97 strikes in South Korea; Masrur al-Balkhi; Bazoline Estelle Usher
Included: King Lear (8th appearance, last in 2018); Battle of Chickasaw Bayou (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Pierre Curie/Marie Curie/Radium (Pierre: 3rd appearance; Marie: 7th; Radium: 8th; all last in 2018); Flannan Isles Lighthouse (3rd appearance, last in 2017); Jean François de Saint-Lambert (first appearance); John Fothergill (physician) (first appearance)
Repeats: Decembrist revolt (2nd consecutive appearance, 7 total); Raja Pervaiz Ashraf (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 70th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 07:36, 29 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

New articles (ineligible): Rendlesham Forest incident (maintenance; moved from December 24)
Omitted: King Lear; Decembrist revolt; Pierre Curie/Marie Curie/Radium; Flannan Isles Lighthouse; Jean François de Saint-Lambert (ineligible—maintenance); John Fothergill (physician); Raja Pervaiz Ashraf
Included: Thespis (opera) (5th appearance, last in 2018; 150th anniversary); Flamingo Las Vegas (first appearance; 75th anniversary; rescued from Ineligible); 1996–1997 strikes in South Korea (5th appearance, last in 2019; 25th anniversary); 2006 Hengchun earthquakes (6th appearance, last in 2016, but first appearance as its own blurb); John Page (planter) (first appearance); Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Dorothy Bliss (2nd appearance, last in 2020; also appeared on February 13, her birth date)

—howcheng {chat} 04:35, 27 December 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2024 notes

The Bach cantata should not run this year because there's a Bach cantata on DYK this year. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:36, 21 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

@: Done. Thanks, Zeete (talk) 12:58, 23 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]