Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/March 19

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This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/March 19.

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 March 19 article, see Talk:March 19 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.

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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.

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Q4: Why is the birthday/death anniversary of [Insert name here] not listed?

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Today's featured article for March 19, 2025

Frederick Steele

Steele's Greenville expedition took place from April 2 to April 25, 1863, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces commanded by Major General Frederick Steele (pictured) occupied Greenville, Mississippi, and operated in the surrounding area, to divert Confederate attention from a more important movement made in Louisiana by Major General John A. McClernand's corps. Minor skirmishing between the two sides occurred, particularly in the early stages of the expedition. More than 1,000 slaves were freed during the operation, and large quantities of supplies and animals were destroyed or removed from the area. Along with other operations, including Grierson's Raid, Steele's Greenville expedition distracted Confederate attention from McClernand's movement. Some historians have suggested that the Greenville expedition represented the Union war policy's shifting more towards expanding the war to Confederate social and economic structures and the Confederate homefront. (Full article...)

Recently featured:

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Picture of the day for March 19, 2025

David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish physician, Congregationalist, pioneer Christian missionary with the London Missionary Society, and an explorer in Africa. Livingstone was married to Mary Moffat Livingstone, from the prominent 18th-century Moffat missionary family. His fame as an explorer and his obsession with learning the sources of the Nile was founded on the belief that if he could solve that age-old mystery, his fame would give him the influence to end the East African Arab–Swahili slave trade. Livingstone's subsequent exploration of the central African watershed was the culmination of the classic period of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of Africa. His missionary travels, "disappearance", and eventual death in Africa‍—‌and subsequent glorification as a posthumous national hero in 1874‍—‌led to the founding of several major central African Christian missionary initiatives carried forward in the era of the European "Scramble for Africa". This portrait by Thomas Annan was taken in 1864.

Photograph credit: Thomas Annan; restored by Adam Cuerden

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← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/March 18 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/March 20 →

1916 - Eight American planes take off in pursuit of Pancho Villa.

Pancho was already here on March 9th. -- PFHLai 05:26, 2005 Mar 18 (UTC)

Pancho Villa carries the {{cleanup}} tag. He's not featured either on March 9th or March 19th this year. -- PFHLai 21:50, 8 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

PLUTO ain't a planet

St. Joe's Day

This year (2008), St. Joseph's Day was actually March 15 (see the USCCB readings calendar), because if March 19 happens to fall during Holy Week, the Solemnity of St. Joseph is moved to the Saturday before Palm Sunday. Gentgeen (talk) 11:27, 19 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Ornette Coleman's birthday

This page lists Ornette Coleman's birthday as March 19 and links to the Wiki bio page that lists it as March 9. I can find both dates in various sources, so it seems to be in question. It is also included on the March 9 Wiki birthdays list. HHFi (talk) 01:14, 15 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

St. Joes Day

Someone changed it to western Christianity from Catholicism. However only widely observed in the Catholic tradition. See the page linked for more. Please change it back. Outback the koala (talk) 04:46, 19 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

2012 notes

New articles (unused): Spanish Constitution of 1812
Omitted: Battle of Yamen (ineligible—maintenance); René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (ineligible—maintenance); USS Franklin (CV-13) (ineligible—maintenance); United Nations Security Council Resolution 425
Included: Charles IV of Spain (2nd appearance, last in 2004; moved from March 24—wrong date); SS Georgiana (first appearance); Crossbarry Ambush (first appearance); Tuskegee Airmen (2nd appearance, last in 2008); Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureș (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 00:52, 18 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

Deleted: Spanish Constitution of 1812 (already featured on May 4)
Moved to Ineligible: Parenzana; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Omitted: SS Georgiana (ineligible—maintenance); Crossbarry Ambush; Tuskegee Airmen; Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureș; GRB 080319B
Included: Pluto (7th appearance, last in 2010); Bob Dylan (first appearance); United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 (5th appearance, last in 2011); Opération Harmattan (first appearance)
Repeats: Charles IV of Spain (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 15:45, 18 March 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Ethnic clashes of Târgu Mureș (maintenance)
Omitted: Charles IV of Spain (ineligible—maintenance); Pluto; Bob Dylan; United Nations Security Council Resolution 425; Opération Harmattan
Included: List of emperors of the Song Dynasty (first appearance); Crossbarry Ambush (2nd appearance, last in 2012); Sydney Harbour Bridge (3rd appearance, last in 2006); Willie Mosconi (first appearance; 60th anniversary); Jim Bakker (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 08:05, 18 March 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Omitted: Crossbarry Ambush; Sydney Harbour Bridge (ineligible—maintenance); Willie Mosconi; Jim Bakker
Included: Charles IV of Spain (4th appearance, last in 2013; rescued from Ineligible); Pluto (8th appearance, last in 2013; 100th anniversary); C-SPAN (first appearance); Opération Harmattan (2nd appearance, last in 2013)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 10:03, 17 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Omitted: Earth Hour (ineligible—maintenance); Charles IV of Spain (ineligible—maintenance); Pluto; C-SPAN; Opération Harmattan
Included: Father's Day (rescued from Ineligible); Clara Zetkin (first appearance); Tuskegee Airmen (3rd appearance, last in 2012; 75th anniversary); Bob Dylan (2nd appearance, last in 2013); GRB 080319B (3rd appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (3rd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 17:09, 17 March 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Crossbarry Ambush (maintenance); Willie Mosconi (maintenance); United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 (maintenance); Jim Bakker (maintenance)
Omitted: Tuskegee Airmen (ineligible—maintenance)
Included: Opération Harmattan (3rd appearance, last in 2015)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (4th consecutive appearance, 4 total); Clara Zetkin (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total); Bob Dylan (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total); GRB 080319B (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 07:29, 19 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Deleted: Pluto (moved to August 20)
Moved to Ineligible: Severus Alexander (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Flydubai Flight 981
Omitted: Bob Dylan; Opération Harmattan; Wyatt Earp; Albert Speer; Bun Cook
Included: Battle of Bentonville (first appearance); Jim Bakker (2nd appearance, last in 2014; rescued from Ineligible); Jan Zamoyski (first appearance); Senda Berenson Abbott (first appearance); Lise Østergaard (first appearance)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (5th consecutive appearance, 5 total); Clara Zetkin (3rd consecutive appearance, 3 total); GRB 080319B (3rd consecutive appearance, 5 total; 10th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 15:46, 19 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Flydubai Flight 981 (maintenance)
New articles (unused): Amos 'n' Andy (moved from August 19)
Omitted: Jim Bakker; GRB 080319B; Jan Zamoyski; Senda Berenson Abbott; Lise Østergaard
Included: C-SPAN (first appearance; 40th anniversary); Opération Harmattan (4th appearance, last in 2017); Lord Edmund Howard (first appearance); Ernestine Rose (librarian) (first appearance); Joe Gaetjens (first appearance)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (6th consecutive appearance, 6 total); Battle of Bentonville (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total); Clara Zetkin (4th consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 15:49, 19 March 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Omitted: Battle of Bentonville; C-SPAN; Opération Harmattan; Lord Edmund Howard; Ernestine Rose (librarian); Joe Gaetjens
Included: Bob Dylan (4th appearance, last in 2017); Jim Bakker (3rd appearance, last in 2018); Flydubai Flight 981 (first appearance; rescued from Ineligible); Elizabeth Seymour, Lady Cromwell (first appearance); Wyatt Earp (2nd appearance, last in 2017); Bruce Willis (first appearance)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (7th consecutive appearance, 7 total); Clara Zetkin (5th consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 23:45, 20 March 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

New articles (unused): Francis B. Spinola (POTD for 2021)
Omitted: Bob Dylan; Jim Bakker; Flydubai Flight 981; Elizabeth Seymour, Lady Cromwell; Wyatt Earp (ineligible—maintenance); Bruce Willis
Included: Saint Joseph's Day (rescued from Ineligible); Edict of Amboise (first appearance); C-SPAN (2nd appearance, last in 2019); Opération Harmattan (5th appearance, last in 2019; 10th anniversary); Jan Zamoyski (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Anna Held (first appearance); Maria Bergson (first appearance)
Repeats: List of emperors of the Song dynasty (8th consecutive appearance, 8 total); Clara Zetkin (6th consecutive appearance, 6 total)

—howcheng {chat} 18:00, 20 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

2022 notes

Deleted: Severus Alexander (date not certain, but not today)
Omitted: List of emperors of the Song dynasty; Edict of Amboise; Clara Zetkin; C-SPAN; Opération Harmattan; Jan Zamoyski; Maria Bergson
Included: Byzantine–Venetian treaty of 1277 (first appearance); Charles IV of Spain (5th appearance, last in 2015; rescued from Ineligible); Bob Dylan (5th appearance, last in 2020; 60th anniversary); 1998 Ariana Afghan Airlines crash (first appearance); GRB 080319B (6th appearance, last in 2018); Francis B. Spinola (first appearance); Kym Bonython (first appearance)
Repeats: Anna Held (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total; 150th birthday)

—howcheng {chat} 04:25, 20 March 2022 (UTC)[reply]