Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/November 17

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This is the talk page for making suggestions or discussing improvements to Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/November 17.

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 November 17 article, see Talk:November 17 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 November 17, 2025

Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 17, 2025

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Picture of the day for November 17, 2025

The Council of Clermont was a mixed synod of ecclesiastics and laymen of the Catholic Church, called by Pope Urban II and held from 17 to 27 November 1095 at Clermont, Auvergne, at the time part of the Duchy of Aquitaine.

While the council is known today primarily for the speech Pope Urban gave on the final day, it was primarily a synod focused on implementing the Cluniac reforms, enacting decrees and settling local and regional issues. This also included the extension of the excommunication of Philip I of France for his adulterous remarriage to Bertrade of Montfort and a declaration of renewal of the Truce of God, an attempt on the part of the church to reduce feuding among Frankish nobles.

Pope Urban's speech on 27 November included the call to arms that would result in the First Crusade, and eventually the capture of Jerusalem and the establishment of the Kingdom of Jerusalem.

The image comes from the Passages d'outremer, a chronicle of the Crusades published and illustrated three centuries after this event, and isn't particularly historically accurate, but also considered a masterpiece of mediaeval illustration, and a document showing the 15th-century interpretation of the crusading movement.

Jean Colombe

Recently featured:

← Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/November 16 * Wikipedia talk:Selected anniversaries/November 18 →

Minor edit: Velvet Revolution starts in Czechoslovakia, when a student demonstration in Prague is beaten back by riot police.

Dalai Lama

A possible candidate:

1950 - Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was enthroned as Tibet's head of state at the age of fifteen.

-- PFHLai 19:05, 16 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

2012 notes

Omitted: John Balliol; Suez Canal; 14th Dalai Lama; Lunokhod 1 (ineligible—maintenance); Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Included: Elizabeth I of England (8th appearance, last in 2010); Battle of the Bridge of Arcole (3rd appearance, last in 2010; rescued from Ineligible); Victoria Falls (5th appearance, last in 2010); Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 (2nd appearance, last in 2010); Heidi Game (first appearance)

—howcheng {chat} 06:46, 16 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Inclusion of the Heidi Game, which is so utterly irrelevant, is so senseless that it simply infuriates me. Please, use something else! Its a single game of sports that was oddly televised - how is that of historical importance?! So if you'd please remove it. --

\color {Blue}{\mathcal {M}}

\color {Blue}{\vec {(e\ ,}}

\color {Blue}t)

= ? 10:41, 17 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Edit request on 17 November 2012

This edit request has been answered. Set the |answered= or |ans= parameter to no to reactivate your request.

Please replace * 1968 – NBC controversially cut away from the American football game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets to broadcast Heidi, causing viewers in the Eastern United States to miss the game's dramatic ending.

with

1950 – Lhamo Dondrub, age 15, was formally enthroned as the 14th Dalai Lama, the temporal ruler of Tibet.

$\color {Blue}{\mathcal {M}}$ $\color {Blue}{\vec {(e\ ,}}$ $\color {Blue}t)$ = ? 13:10, 17 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The Dalai Lama has been listed for six years in a row, so he's taking a break this year. We like to feature articles of varying topics, including sports, and Heidi Game is an FA, which does give it a little extra clout. —howcheng {chat} 23:56, 17 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

2013 notes

New articles (unused): Oberto (opera)
Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Luxor massacre
Omitted: Elizabeth I of England; Battle of the Bridge of Arcole; Victoria Falls; Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905; Heidi Game (ineligible—TFA for 2013)
Included: Sultanate of Sulu (first appearance); Suez Canal (10th appearance, last in 2011); Mouse (computing) (first appearance); Sani Abacha (first appearance); Il Canto degli Italiani (2nd appearance, last in 2008; rescued from Ineligible)

—howcheng {chat} 08:14, 16 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Addendum: Il Canto degli Italiani moved to November 23 and replaced by Luxor massacre (4th appearance, last in 2009; rescued from Ineligible). —howcheng {chat} 19:36, 17 November 2013 (UTC)[reply]

2014 notes

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Heidi Game
Omitted: Sultanate of Sulu; Suez Canal; Mouse (computing) (ineligible—maintenance); Luxor massacre
Included: John Balliol (2nd appearance, last in 2011); Oberto (opera) (first appearance; 175th anniversary); 14th Dalai Lama (10th appearance, last in 2011); Climatic Research Unit email controversy (2nd appearance, last in 2011)
Repeats: Sani Abacha (2nd consecutive appearance, 2 total)

—howcheng {chat} 11:39, 16 November 2014 (UTC)[reply]

2015 notes

Deleted: Victoria Falls (moved to November 16)
Moved to Ineligible: Sultanate of Sulu (maintenance)
Omitted: John Balliol; Oberto (opera); Sani Abacha; Climatic Research Unit email controversy
Included: Elizabeth I of England (9th appearance, last in 2012); Suez Canal (11th appearance, last in 2013); Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 (3rd appearance, last in 2012); Heidi Game (2nd appearance, last in 2012)
Repeats: 14th Dalai Lama (2nd consecutive appearance, 11 total)

—howcheng {chat} 11:33, 15 November 2015 (UTC)[reply]

2016 notes

Omitted: Elizabeth I of England; Suez Canal; 14th Dalai Lama; Heidi Game
Included: John Balliol (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Battle of Arcole (4th appearance, last in 2012); Oberto (opera) (2nd appearance, last in 2014); Sani Abacha (3rd appearance, last in 2014)
Repeats: Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905 (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total)

—howcheng {chat} 18:08, 16 November 2016 (UTC)[reply]

2017 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Suez Canal (maintenance); 14th Dalai Lama (maintenance)
Omitted: John Balliol; Battle of Arcole; Japan–Korea Treaty of 1905; Sani Abacha
Included: Elizabeth I of England (10th appearance, last in 2015); National Rifle Association (first appearance); H. H. Holmes (first appearance); Luxor massacre (5th appearance, last in 2013); Empress Chen Jinfeng (first appearance); Bernard Montgomery (first appearance); Rosemary Edna Sinclair (first appearance)
Repeats: Oberto (opera) (2nd consecutive appearance, 3 total)

—howcheng {chat} 08:20, 17 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

2018 notes

Moved to Ineligible: Sani Abacha (maintenance)
New articles (unused) Star Wars Holiday Special; Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain
Omitted: Oberto (opera); National Rifle Association (ineligible—maintenance); H. H. Holmes; Luxor massacre; Chen Jinfeng; Bernard Montgomery; Rosemary Edna Sinclair
Included: Battle of Arcole (5th appearance, last in 2016); Heidi Game (3rd appearance, last in 2015; 50th anniversary); Climatic Research Unit email controversy (3rd appearance, last in 2014); Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 (first appearance); Agnes of Jesus (first appearance); Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (first appearance; 200th anniversary); Robert Hofstadter (first appearance)
Repeats: Elizabeth I of England (2nd consecutive appearance, 11 total)

—howcheng {chat} 04:47, 17 November 2018 (UTC)[reply]

2019 notes

Deleted: National Rifle Association (moved to November 16)
Omitted: Elizabeth I of England; Battle of Arcole; Heidi Game; Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363; Agnes of Jesus; Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (ineligible—maintenance); Robert Hofstadter
Included: Oberto (opera) (4th appearance, last in 2017); H. H. Holmes (2nd appearance, last in 2017; 125th anniversary); Star Wars Holiday Special (first appearance); Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain (first appearance); Grace Abbott (first appearance); Rikard Wolff (first appearance)
Repeats: Climatic Research Unit email controversy (2nd consecutive appearance, 4 total; 10th anniversary)

—howcheng {chat} 17:29, 18 November 2019 (UTC)[reply]

2020 notes

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Omitted: H. H. Holmes (ineligible—maintenance); Star Wars Holiday Special; Climatic Research Unit email controversy; Maria Antonia Ferdinanda of Spain; Grace Abbott; Rikard Wolff
Included: Elizabeth I (12th appearance, last in 2018); 14th Dalai Lama (12th appearance, last in 2015; 70th anniversary; rescued from Ineligible); Luxor massacre (6th appearance, last in 2017); Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363 (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Nicolas Appert (first appearance); Bernardo Bellotto (first appearance); Robert Hofstadter (2nd appearance, last in 2018; 30th anniversary)
Repeats: Oberto (opera) (2nd consecutive appearance, 5 total)

—howcheng {chat} 03:55, 19 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

2021 notes

Rescued from Ineligible (unused): Sigismund III Vasa
New articles (unused): Zanobi Strozzi; Cyril Ramaphosa
Omitted: Elizabeth I; Oberto (opera); Luxor massacre; Tatarstan Airlines Flight 363; Nicolas Appert; Bernardo Bellotto; Robert Hofstadter
Included: Battle of Arcole (6th appearance, last in 2018; 225th anniversary); Heidi Game (4th appearance, last in 2018); Climatic Research Unit email controversy (5th appearance, last in 2019); Nikephoros Melissenos (first appearance); Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (2nd appearance, last in 2018); Petra Burka (first appearance; 75th birthday)
Repeats: 14th Dalai Lama

—howcheng {chat} 08:48, 18 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]