Frequently asked questions Q1: Why is , 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 . 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 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 November 5, 2024
Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 5, 2024 create – talk – watch
Picture of the day for November 5, 2024
Harry Truman holds up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune displaying the infamous, incorrect headline "Dewey Defeats Truman" on November 3, 1948, the day after Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey in the 1948 United States presidential election. Photograph credit: Byron H. Rollins Recently featured: Archive More featured pictures view talk edit history watch file page create protected version (To create the protected version, replace the first line with {{subst:POTD row and save the page.)

For 2011, Bank Transfer Day should be added.--Found5dollar (talk) 18:00, 28 October 2011 (UTC)

"1955 – Time Travel: Doc Brown conceives the idea of the flux capacitor after hitting his head during a fall." Fictional event removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.121.184.196 (talk) 20:15, 5 November 2011 (UTC)

I've improved the article with refs and tidied up the entry here. It's a bit on the short side at ~700 words, please let me know what you think. Edgepedia (talk) 16:53, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

That article looks good to go. Thanks. —howcheng {chat} 17:14, 15 October 2012 (UTC)

• Deleted: Glorious Revolution (moved to November 15—Gregorian date)
• Omitted: Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot (ineligible—Thomas Percy (Gunpowder Plot) is TFA for 2012); Federal Republic of Central America; Battle of Pakchon; Meir Kahane (ineligible—maintenance); Nidal Malik Hasan/Fort Hood shooting
• Included: Ly Anh Tong (2nd appearance, last in 2010); Sidney Reilly (first appearance); Hither Green rail crash (first appearance); rescued from Ineligible); Byford Dolphin (first appearance); André Dallaire (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 05:35, 4 November 2012 (UTC)reply

• Omitted: Lý Anh Tông; Sidney Reilly; Hither Green rail crash; André Dallaire
• Included: Federal Republic of Central America (9th appearance, last in 2011); Everett massacre (first appearance); Battle of Pakchon (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Gary Ridgway (first appearance; 10th anniversary)
• Repeats: Byford Dolphin (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 30th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 07:50, 4 November 2013 (UTC)reply

• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Meir Kahane
• Omitted: Everett massacre; Battle of Pakchon; Byford Dolphin; Gary Ridgway
• Included: Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot (Fawkes: 7th appearance; Plot: 6th appearance; both last in 2011); Hither Green rail crash (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Morning Ireland (2nd appearance, last in 2010; 30th anniversary); Nidal Malik Hasan/Fort Hood shooting (both: 2nd appearance, last in 2011)
• Repeats: Federal Republic of Central America (2nd consecutive appearance, 10 total)

—howcheng {chat} 11:58, 4 November 2014 (UTC)reply

• Moved to Ineligible: Sidney Reilly (maintenance)
• New articles (unused): Mars Orbiter Mission
• Omitted: Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot; Federal Republic of Central America; Hither Green rail crash; Morning Ireland; Nidal Malik Hasan/2009 Fort Hood shooting
• Included: Lý Anh Tông (3rd appearance, last in 2012); George B. McClellan (first appearance); Bombing of the Vatican (first appearance); Meir Kahane (2nd appearance, last in 2011; 25th anniversary); André Dallaire (2nd appearance, last in 2012; 20th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 11:33, 3 November 2015 (UTC)reply

Hi, I'd like to suggest the addition of Susan B. Anthony's vote to the list of eligible events for OTD November 5th. On this day in 1872, Anthony defied the law and voted in an election in New York; she was arrested and fined $100. Thanks! MurielMary (talk) 08:15, 6 November 2015 (UTC)reply

Susan B. Anthony is already featured on November 18, the date of her arrest. (For future reference, for any article you are thinking about, look on its talk page to see if there's an OTD banner and that will tell you what day(s) it has appeared on.) —howcheng {chat} 16:42, 6 November 2015 (UTC)reply

• Moved to Ineligible: Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot (Robert Catesby is TFA for 2016); Federal Republic of Central America (maintenance); Gary Ridgway (maintenance)
• Omitted: George B. McClellan; Bombing of the Vatican; Meir Kahane; André Dallaire (ineligible—maintenance)
• Included: Negros Revolution (first appearance); Everett massacre (2nd appearance, last in 2013; 100th anniversary); Byford Dolphin (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Nidal Malik Hasan/2009 Fort Hood shooting (both: 3rd appearance, last in 2014)
• Repeats: Lý Anh Tông (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 16:50, 4 November 2016 (UTC)reply

• Moved to Ineligible: Morning Ireland (maintenance); Meir Kahane (maintenance)
• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Battle of Rossbach
• Omitted: Guy Fawkes Night (ineligible—TFA for 2017); Negros Revolution (ineligible—maintenance); Everett massacre; Byford Dolphin; Nidal Hasan/2009 Fort Hood shooting
• Included: Morea expedition (first appearance); Bombing of the Vatican (2nd appearance, last in 2015; 75th anniversary); Hither Green rail crash (3rd appearance, last in 2014; 50th anniversary); Open Handset Alliance (first appearance; 10th anniversary); Eugene V. Debs (first appearance); James Clerk Maxwell (first appearance); Vivien Leigh (first appearance)
• Repeats: Lý Anh Tông (3rd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:52, 3 November 2018 (UTC)reply

• Omitted: Lý Anh Tông; Morea expedition; Bombing of the Vatican (oops, this should have been kept in for the 75th anniversary); Hither Green rail crash; Open Handset Alliance; Eugene V. Debs; James Clerk Maxwell; Vivien Leigh
• Included: Guy Fawkes Night (rescued from Ineligible); Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot (Fawkes: 8th appearance; Plot: 7th appearance; both last in 2014; rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Rossbach (2nd appearance, last in 2009); Sidney Reilly (2nd appearance, last in 2012; rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Pakchon (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Mars Orbiter Mission (first appearance); Anna Maria van Schurman (first appearance); Hans Egede (first appearance); James Robert Baker (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 17:44, 5 November 2018 (UTC)reply

• Moved to Ineligible: Byford Dolphin (maintenance)
• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): André Dallaire
• Omitted: Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot (Fawkes is TFA for 2019); Battle of Rossbach; Sidney Reilly (ineligible—maintenance); Battle of Pakchon; Mars Orbiter Mission; Anna Maria van Schurman; Hans Egede; James Robert Baker
• Included: Lý Anh Tông (6th appearance, last in 2017); Morea expedition (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Bombing of the Vatican (3rd appearance, last in 2017); Hither Green rail crash (4th appearance, last in 2017); Nidal Hasan/2009 Fort Hood shooting (both: 4th appearance, last in 2016; 10th anniversary); Mariotto Albertinelli (2nd appearance, last in 2018; also appeared on October 13, his birthday); Ida Tarbell (first appearance); Luis Cernuda (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 19:50, 6 November 2019 (UTC)reply

• Moved to Ineligible: George B. McClellan (maintenance)
• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot
• New articles (ineligible): Isaiah Berlin (maintenance)
• Omitted: Lý Anh Tông; Morea expedition (ineligible—maintenance); Bombing of the Vatican; Hither Green rail crash (ineligible—maintenance); Nidal Hasan/2009 Fort Hood shooting; Mariotto Albertinelli; Ida Tarbell (ineligible—POTD for 2020); Luis Cernuda
• Included: Second Battle of Panipat (first appearance); Battle of Rossbach (2nd appearance; last in 2018); Sidney Reilly (3rd appearance; last in 2018; rescued from Ineligible); Battle of Pakchon (4th appearance; 70th anniversary); André Dallaire (3rd appearance; last in 2015; 25th anniversary); Edwin Flack (first appearance); Vivien Leigh (2nd appearance; last in 2017); Mary W. Bacheler (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 03:13, 7 November 2020 (UTC)reply

• Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Ida Tarbell
• Omitted: Second Battle of Panipat; Battle of Rossbach; Sidney Reilly; Battle of Pakchon; André Dallaire; Edwin Flack; Vivien Leigh; Mary W. Bacheler
• Included: Lý Anh Tông (7th appearance, last in 2019); Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot (Fawkes: 9th appearance; Plot: 8th; both last in 2018); Everett massacre (3rd appearance, last in 2016); Bombing of the Vatican (4th appearance, last in 2019); Meir Kahane (3rd appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); Louis Bertrand Castel (first appearance); Otto Wahle (first appearance); Habibollah Asgaroladi (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 06:18, 6 November 2021 (UTC)reply