Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/May 16

This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/May 16.

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 May 16 article, see Talk:May 16 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 May 16, 2025

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 16, 2025

create – talk – watch

Picture of the day for May 16, 2025

Margaret Brainard Hamilton (December 9, 1902 – May 16, 1985) as Miss Eddels in Sid and Marty Krofft's Sigmund and the Sea Monsters.

Hamilton was an American entertainer and educator, with a fifty-year career in entertainment spanned theatre, film, radio and television. She was best known for her portrayal of the Wicked Witch of the West and her Kansas counterpart Almira Gulch in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film The Wizard of Oz.

A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actress in films for seven years before she was offered the role that defined her public image. In later years, Hamilton appeared in films and made frequent cameo appearances on television sitcoms and commercials. She also gained recognition for her work as an advocate of causes designed to benefit children and animals and retained a lifelong commitment to public education.

Photograph credit: NBC Television Network; restored by Adam Cuerden

Recently featured:

← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/May 15 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/May 17 →

previous listings

2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, & 2004

Crowning of Count Baldwin IX of Flanders has appeared three years in a row.
Annexing of Sikkim has appeared three years in a row.
Battle of Albuera appeared in 2011 and 2009
Cultural Revolution appeared in 2011 and 2009
laser appear in 2011
1st Academy Awards appeared in 2010 and 2009
2003 Casablanca bombings appeared in 2010 and 2009
Sedition Act appeared in 2010
Florence last appeared in 2006

2013 notes

Deleted: Mary, Queen of Scots (appears on February 8)
Moved to Ineligible: Baldwin I of Constantinople (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Battle of Alamance
Omitted: Oregon Trail; Sedition Act of 1918; May 16 coup
Included: Shield nickel (first appearance); Laser (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Cultural Revolution (4th appearance, last in 2011); Sikkim (4th appearance, last in 2011)
Repeats: Battle of Albuera (3rd consecutive appearance, 5 total); Operation Chastise (2nd consecutive appearance, 8 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:14, 15 May 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

Omitted: Shield nickel; Operation Chastise (ineligible—maintenance); Laser; Sikkim
Included: Battle of Alamance (first appearance); 1st Academy Awards (first appearance); May 16 coup (2nd appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: Battle of Albuera (4th consecutive appearance, 6 total); Cultural Revolution (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 05:27, 15 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: 1st Academy Awards; May 16 coup; Cultural Revolution
Included: Sedition Act of 1918 (3rd appearance, last in 2012); Laser (3rd appearance, last in 2013); Sikkim (5th appearance, last in 2013)
Repeats: Battle of Alamance (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total); Battle of Albuera (5th consecutive appearance, 7 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:08, 14 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Sykes-Picot?

Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the Sykes–Picot Agreement, which planned how the Ottoman Empire's territories would be partitioned between the UK and France. Might be a good addition. —/Mendaliv/^2¢/_Δ's/ 11:07, 15 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Omitted: Battle of Albuera; Sedition Act of 1918; Laser
Included: Shield nickel (2nd appearance, last in 2013; 150th anniversary); Sykes–Picot Agreement (first appearance; 100th anniversary); Cultural Revolution (6th appearance, last in 2014; 50th anniversary)
Repeats: Battle of Alamance (3rd consecutive appearance, 3 total); Sikkim (2nd consecutive appearance, 6 total)

—howcheng {chat} 00:12, 16 May 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Oregon Trail (maintenance)
Omitted: Battle of Alamance (ineligible—maintenance); Shield nickel; Cultural Revolution; Sikkim
Included: Battle of Albuera (8th appearance, last in 2015); 1st Academy Awards (2nd appearance, last in 2014); May 16 coup (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Junko Tabei (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible); Liu Bowen (first appearance); Margaret Ursula Jones (first appearance); Janet Jackson (first appearance)
Repeats: Sykes–Picot Agreement (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:24, 16 May 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Cultural Revolution (maintenance)
Omitted: Battle of Albuera (ineligible—TFA for 2018); Sykes–Picot Agreement (ineligible—maintenance); 1st Academy Awards; Junko Tabei; Liu Bowen; Margaret Ursula Jones; Janet Jackson
Included: Shield nickel (3rd appearance, last in 2016); Sedition Act of 1918 (4th appearance, last in 2015; 100th anniversary); Triton Fountain (Malta) (first appearance); Sikkim (7th appearance, last in 2016); Andrew Bobola (first appearance); Maria Gaetana Agnesi (first appearance); Henri-Edmond Cross (first appearance)
Repeats: May 16 coup (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 06:58, 16 May 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

New articles (ineligible): Nancy Roman (maintenance)
Omitted: Shield nickel; Sedition Act of 1918; Triton Fountain (Malta); Sikkim; Andrew Bobola; Maria Gaetana Agnesi; Henri-Edmond Cross
Included: Battle of Albuera (9th appearance, last in 2017; rescued from Ineligible); 1st Academy Awards (3rd appearance, last in 2017; 90th anniversary); Theodore Maiman (first appearance; blurb previously featured Laser, which is ineligible, and is making its 4th appearance, last in 2015); Junko Tabei (2nd appearance, last in 2017); John Komnenos Vatatzes (first appearance); Pierre Gilliard (first appearance); Tucker Carlson (first appearance; 50th birthday)
Repeats: May 16 coup (3rd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 16:08, 16 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

New articles (unused): William H. Seward; Nancy Roman
Omitted: 1st Academy Awards; May 16 coup; Junko Tabei; John Komnenos Vatatzes; Pierre Gilliard; Tucker Carlson
Included: Shield nickel (4th appearance, last in 2018); Bouncing bomb (first appearance; blurb previously featured Operation Chastise, which is currently ineligible, and is making its 9th appearance, last in 2013); 2014 Gikomba bombings (first appearance); Pietro da Cortona (first appearance); Margaret Fountaine (first appearance); Anna Costanza Baldry (first appearance; 50th birthday)
Repeats: Battle of Albuera (2nd consecutive appearance, 10 total); Theodore Maiman (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 60th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 01:00, 18 May 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

New articles (unused): Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (moved from May 18); Chuck E. Cheese (moved from May 17); Horace Hutchinson
Omitted: Battle of Albuera; Theodore Maiman;2014 Gikomba bombings; Pietro da Cortona; Margaret Fountaine; Anna Costanza Baldry
Included: Chilean silver rush (first appearance); May 16 coup (6th appearance, last in 2019; 60th anniversary); Junko Tabei (3rd appearance, last in 2019); Liu Bowen (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Maria Gaetana Agnesi (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Janet Jackson (2nd appearance, last in 2017)
Repeats: Shield nickel; (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total); Bouncing bomb (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:36, 18 May 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2022 edit request

Change the caption of the image from "Flag of Sikkim, prior to its 1975 annexation with India" to "Flag of Sikkim, prior to its 1975 annexation by India. I am quite certain that "annexation with" is not grammatically correct as "with" implies Sikkim annexed itself along with India. CentreLeftRight ✉ 04:52, 16 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

2022 notes

Omitted: Shield nickel; Bouncing bomb; May 16 coup; Junko Tabei; Liu Bowen; Maria Gaetana Agnesi; Janet Jackson
Included: Battle of Albuera (11th appearance, last in 2020); Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (first appearance); Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (6th appearance, last in 2008); Sikkim (8th appearance, last in 2018); Andrew Bobola (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Horace Hutchinson (first appearance); Nancy Roman (first appearance)
Repeats: Chilean silver rush (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:03, 17 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

2023 error with the Mohnyin Thado hook

This is not correct: "1426 – Mohnyin Thado captured Sagaing to become King of Ava." It should have been "1426 – Mohnyin Thado captured Ava to become King of Ava." Upon re-reading the Mohnyin Thado article, which I contributed to, I could see why some readers might have construed to mean Sagaing. I've since edited the article to make it clear that Thado captured Ava, the capital of the kingdom of Ava, on 16 May 1426. Hybernator (talk) 18:33, 28 May 2023 (UTC)[reply]