Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/October 4

This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/October 4.

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 October 4 article, see Talk:October 4 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 October 4, 2025
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Picture of the day for October 4, 2025
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← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/October 3 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/October 5 →

Sputnik 1

Latest comment: 17 years ago3 comments2 people in discussion

Is there a standard way, for "Selected anniversaries", to indicate when the current year is a major anniversary of an event? The case in point for October 4 is Sputnik 1, for which 2007 is the 50th anniversary. Since Sputnik 1 marks the beginning of orbital spaceflight, it is a pretty big deal for people with an interest in space.... (sdsds - talk) 00:51, 1 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

No. Ever since these selected anniversaries pages were started in 2004, there has never been a procedure to mark an event as a "major anniversary". And I would prefer not to start one now in the middle of the year here in October when we will probably get complaints as to why we did not use it earlier in the year for event X for which 2007 is the Yth anniversary. And what would be the criterion be to define what a "major anniversary" is? Cheers. Zzyzx11 (Talk) 03:55, 1 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

Thanks for your reply! I realize that starting in the middle of a year might lead to complaints of unfairness. Still, I think it should be done either for Sputnik 1, or at least an effort should be made to establish it as a policy to begin on e.g. January 1, 2008. (But I won't be leading that effort myself! :-) As for the (perhaps rhetorical) question about the criterion, I would suggest using the denominations of euro banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500. (sdsds - talk) 05:23, 1 October 2007 (UTC)Reply

2012 notes

Latest comment: 12 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: Belgium (date not in article); Free Software Foundation (maintenance)
Omitted: 1824 Constitution of Mexico; Sputnik 1; Hassanal Bolkiah (ineligible—maintenance); Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery (ineligible—maintenance); Maxim restaurant suicide bombing
Included: 5 October 1910 revolution (first appearance; blurb previously featured Manuel II of Portugal, which is now ineligible; blurb is making its 8th appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion (first appearance); Willie Gillis (first appearance); French Fifth Republic (first appearance); Ajka alumina plant accident (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 05:35, 3 October 2012 (UTC)Reply

2013 notes

Latest comment: 11 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Deleted: Orient Express (moved to June 5)
Added and deleted: History of the Han Dynasty (article spans 400 years; it's hard to pin one "most important" date on it, unless it's the founding date)
Omitted: 5 October 1910 revolution (moved to October 5, naturally); T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion; Willie Gillis; French Fifth Republic; Ajka alumina plant accident
Included: 1824 Constitution of Mexico (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Sputnik 1 (9th appearance, last in 2011); Hurricane Flora (first appearance; 50th anniversary); 1993 Russian constitutional crisis (5th appearance, last in 2007; rescued from Ineligible); Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (5th appearance, last in 2011)

—howcheng {chat} 06:43, 3 October 2013 (UTC)Reply

Hurricane Image

Latest comment: 11 years ago2 comments2 people in discussion

This image is totally uninformative at thumbnail resolution. I can't even see what it is. I thought it was a picture of the Sputnik launch, a plume of fire and smoke, but no, it is a hurricane radar smudge. I think we should swap out this image for

the Sputnik one, which is at least recognizeable at thumbnail size. What do you say? Jehochman ^Talk 11:58, 4 October 2013 (UTC)Reply

Done. —howcheng {chat} 17:53, 4 October 2013 (UTC)Reply

2014 notes

Latest comment: 10 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Omitted: 1824 Constitution of Mexico (ineligible—maintenance); Sputnik 1; Hurricane Flora; 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Maxim restaurant suicide bombing
Included: James Wilson (first appearance); U.S. Open (golf) (first appearance); French Fifth Republic (2nd appearance, last in 2012); InterCity 125 (first appearance); Ajka alumina plant accident (2nd appearance, last in 2012)

—howcheng {chat} 10:05, 3 October 2014 (UTC)Reply

2015 notes

Latest comment: 9 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Omitted: U.S. Open (golf); French Fifth Republic; InterCity 125
Included: Texas A&M University (first appearance); Battle of Broodseinde (first appearance); Sputnik 1 (10th appearance, last in 2013)
Repeats: James Wilson (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total); Ajka alumina plant accident (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 10:20, 2 October 2015 (UTC)Reply

2016 notes

Latest comment: 8 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Omitted: James Wilson; Texas A&M University; Sputnik 1 (ineligible—maintenance); Ajka alumina plant accident
Included: U.S. Open (golf) (2nd appearance, last in 2014); Willie Gillis (2nd appearance, last in 2012; 75th anniversary); InterCity 125 (2nd appearance, last in 2014; 40th anniversary); Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (6th appearance, last in 2013)
Repeats: Battle of Broodseinde (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 15:56, 3 October 2016 (UTC)Reply

2017 notes

Latest comment: 7 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: James Wilson (maintenance); French Fifth Republic (maintenance); Hurricane Flora (maintenance); 1993 Russian constitutional crisis (maintenance)
Omitted: Francis of Assisi (ineligible—maintenance); U.S. Open (golf) (ineligible—maintenance); Willie Gillis; InterCity 125 (ineligible—maintenance)
Included: Texas A&M University (2nd appearance, last in 2015); Sputnik 1 (11th appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); Ajka alumina plant accident (4th appearance, last in 2015); Gabriele Paleotti (first appearance); Agneta Matthes (first appearance); Henrietta Lacks (first appearance)
Repeats: Battle of Broodseinde (3rd consecutive appearance, 3 total; 100th anniversary); Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (2nd consecutive appearance, 7 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:44, 4 October 2017 (UTC)Reply

2018 notes

Latest comment: 6 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Omitted: Battle of Broodseinde; Maxim restaurant suicide bombing; Gabriele Paleotti; Agneta Matthes; Henrietta Lacks
Included: T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion (2nd appearance, last in 2012; 100th anniversary); French Fifth Republic (3rd appearance, last in 2014; rescued from Ineligible); John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll (first appearance); Jenny Twitchell Kempton (first appearance); Zinha Vaz (first appearance)
Repeats: Texas A&M University (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total); Sputnik 1 (2nd consecutive appearance, 12 total); Ajka alumina plant accident (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 17:19, 4 October 2018 (UTC)Reply

2019 - Cinnamon Roll Day (Sweden)

Latest comment: 5 years ago2 comments2 people in discussion

Hello,

Any chance to get Cinnamon_Roll_Day listed next to "October 4" in the OTD box today? Short but well referenced.130.233.2.235 (talk) 08:44, 4 October 2019 (UTC)Reply

You got it. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. —howcheng {chat} 15:47, 4 October 2019 (UTC)Reply

2019 notes

Latest comment: 5 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

New articles (unused): Townsend Harris
Omitted: Texas A&M University; T. A. Gillespie Company Shell Loading Plant explosion; John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll; Jenny Twitchell Kempton; Zinha Vaz
Included: Cinnamon Roll Day (first appearance); Willie Gillis (3rd appearance, last in 2016); Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (8th appearance, last in 2017); Charles Pearson (first appearance); Lucy Tayiah Eads (first appearance); Carl Josef Bayer (first appearance)
Repeats: Sputnik 1 (3rd consecutive appearance, 13 total); French Fifth Republic (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total); Ajka alumina plant accident (3rd consecutive appearance, 6 total)

—howcheng {chat} 15:51, 7 October 2019 (UTC)Reply

2020 notes

Latest comment: 4 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

New articles (ineligible): Joseph A. Lopez (TFA for 2020)
New articles (unused): Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton
Omitted: Willie Gillis; French Fifth Republic; Charles Pearson; Lucy Tayiah Eads; Carl Josef Bayer
Included: Texas A&M University (4th appearance, last in 2018); Battle of Broodseinde (4th appearance, last in 2017); Anna of Tyrol (first appearance); Townsend Harris (first appearance); Graham Chapman (first appearance)
Repeats: Sputnik 1 (4th consecutive appearance, 7 total); Maxim restaurant suicide bombing (2nd consecutive appearance, 9 total); Ajka alumina plant accident (4th consecutive appearance, 7 total; 10th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 06:27, 6 October 2020 (UTC)Reply

2021 notes

Latest comment: 3 years ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Joseph A. Lopez
New articles (unused): Mary Two-Axe Earley
Omitted: Texas A&M University; Battle of Broodseinde; Sputnik 1; Maxim restaurant suicide bombing; Ajka alumina plant accident (ineligible—maintenance); Anna of Tyrol; Townsend Harris; Graham Chapman
Included: Battle of the Narrow Seas (first appearance); James Wilson (Founding Father) (3rd appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); 1925 Hama uprising (first appearance); Willie Gillis (4th appearance, last in 2019; 80th anniversary); French Fifth Republic (5th appearance, last in 2019); Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton (first appearance); Amaro Pargo (2nd appearance, last in 2020; moved from October 14); Henrietta Lacks (2nd appearance, last in 2017; 70th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 00:12, 10 October 2021 (UTC)Reply

2022 notes

Latest comment: 1 year ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Moved to Ineligible: James Wilson (Founding Father) (maintenance); French Fifth Republic (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Battle of Galveston Harbor (1862); Jack Warhop
Omitted: 1925 Hama uprising; Willie Gillis; Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton; Amaro Pargo; Henrietta Lacks
Included: Texas A&M University (5th appearance, last in 2020); Battle of Broodseinde (5th appearance, last in 2020); Sputnik 1 (15th appearance, last in 2020); Anna of Tyrol (2nd appearance, last in 2020); Agneta Matthes (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Zinha Vaz (2nd appearance, last in 2018)
Repeats: Battle of the Narrow Seas (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total); Willie Gillis (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

Heart ^(talk) 05:10, 4 August 2023 (UTC)Reply

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