Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests

Here the community can nominate articles to be selected as "Today's featured article" (TFA) on the main page. The TFA section aims to highlight the range of articles that have "featured article" status, from Art and architecture through to Warfare, and wherever possible it tries to avoid similar topics appearing too close together without good reason. Requests are not the only factor in scheduling the TFA (see Choosing Today's Featured Article); the final decision rests with the TFA coordinators: Wehwalt, Dank and Gog the Mild, who also select TFAs for dates where no suggestions are put forward. Please confine requests to this page, and remember that community endorsement on this page does not necessarily mean the article will appear on the requested date. The article must be a featured article. Editors who are not significant contributors to the article should consult regular editors of the article before nominating it for TFAR. The article must not have appeared as TFA before (see the list of possibilities here), except that: The TFA coordinators may choose to fill up to two slots each week with FAs that have previously been on the main page, so long as the prior appearance was at least five years ago. The coordinators will invite discussion on general selection criteria for re-runnable TFAs, and aim to make individual selections within those criteria. The request must be either for a specific date within the next 30 days that has not yet been scheduled, or a non-specific date. The template {{@TFA}} can be used in a message to "ping" the coordinators through the notification system. If you have an exceptional request that deviates from these instructions (for example, an article making a second appearance as TFA, or a "double-header"), please discuss the matter with the TFA coordinators beforehand. It can be helpful to add the article to the pending requests template, if the desired date for the article is beyond the 30-day period. This does not guarantee selection, but does help others see what nominations may be forthcoming. Requesters should still nominate the article here during the 30-day time-frame.  – Check TFAR nominations for dead links  – Alt text

Featured content: Featured articles ← Featured lists Featured pictures Featured topics Featured article candidates (FAC) Featured article criteria Featured article log Featured article statistics Featured article review (FAR) Former featured articles Unreviewed featured articles/2020 Today's featured article (TFA): This month's queue About Today's featured article Recent TFAs and statistics Current TFA requests Potential TFA requests TFA oddities Most viewed TFAs Featured articles yet to appear as TFA Script to track TFA recent changes Featured article tools: Mentoring for FAC Nominators of featured articles promoted Recent changes to featured articles Random featured article

How to post a new nomination: I. Create the nomination subpage. In the box below, enter the full name of the article you are nominating (without using any brackets around the article's name) and click the button to create your nomination page. II. Write the nomination. On that nomination page, fill out as many of the relevant parts of the pre-loaded {{TFAR nom}} template as you can, then save the page. Your nomination should mention: when the last similar article was, since this helps towards diversity on the main page (browsing Wikipedia:Today's featured article/recent TFAs will help you find out); when the article was promoted to FA status (since older articles may need extra checks); and (for date-specific nominations) the article's relevance for the requested date. III. Write the blurb. Some Featured Articles promoted between 2016 and 2020 have pre-prepared blurbs, found on the talk page of the FAC nomination (that's the page linked from "it has been identified" at the top of the article's talk page). If there is one, copy and paste that to the nomination, save it, and then edit as needed. For other FAs, you're welcome to create your own TFA text as a summary of the lead section, or you can ask for assistance at WT:TFAR. We use one paragraph only, with no reference tags or alternative names; the only thing bolded is the first link to the article title. The length when previewed is between 925 and 1025 characters including spaces, " (Full article...)" and the featured topic link if applicable. More characters may be used when no free-use image can be found. Fair use images are not allowed. IV. Post at TFAR. After you have created the nomination page, add it here under a level-3 heading for the preferred date (or under a free non-specific date header). To do this, add (replacing "ARTICLE TITLE" with the name of your nominated article): ===February 29=== {{Wikipedia:Today's featured article/requests/ARTICLE TITLE}} Nominations are ordered by requested date below the summary chart. More than one article can be nominated for the same date. It would also then be helpful to add the nomination to the summary chart, following the examples there. Please include the name of the article that you are nominating in your edit summary. If you are not one of the article's primary editors, please then notify the primary editors of the TFA nomination; if primary editors are no longer active, please add a message to the article talk page. Scheduling: In the absence of exceptional circumstances, TFAs are scheduled in date order, not according to how long nominations have been open or how many supportive comments they have. So, for example, January 31 will not be scheduled until January 30 has been scheduled (by TFAR nomination or otherwise).

Summary chart

Currently accepting requests from September 1 to October 1.

Date	Article	Points	Notes	Supports†	Opposes†
December 4	History of the Montreal Canadiens	6	100th anniversary of team founding	4	0
December 6	George H. D. Gossip	3	168th anniversary of birth; no similar article in 6 mos.	6	0
December 12	Planescape: Torment	2	10th anniversary of release	2	0
December 17	Homer Simpson	3-4	20th anniversary of premiere	1	0
December 27	Prairie Avenue	3	30th anniversary of Chicago Landmark status	1	0

^† Tally may not be up to date; please do not use these tallies for removing a nomination according to criteria 1 or 3 above unless you have verified the numbers.

Requests

December 4

The history of the Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey club dates back to its founding on December 4, 1909. The Montreal Canadiens are the oldest hockey franchise in the world, and one of the four founding teams of the National Hockey League (NHL). Created to appeal to Montreal's francophone population, they played their first game on January 5, 1910, and captured their first Stanley Cup in 1916. The club struggled during the Great Depression, nearly relocating to Cleveland, Ohio in 1935 and contemplated suspending operations in 1939. Maurice Richard became the first player in NHL history to score 50 goals in a single season in 1944–45 and sparked the Richard Riot in 1955 when he was suspended for attacking a linesman. The Canadiens won a record five consecutive titles from 1956 to 1960, and nine more between 1964 and 1978 under general manager Sam Pollock. Led by goaltender Patrick Roy, they won their 24th Stanley Cup in 1993, the last Canadian team to do so. The Hockey Hall of Fame has inducted over 50 former Canadiens players, as well as 10 executives. The team has retired 14 numbers and has honoured 10 off-ice personnel in its Builder's Row. (more….)

Six points as a centennial anniversary, minus two if Scotland national football team also runs. I am slightly bending the rules by not removing the lowest ranked nomination, but as I noted on the talk page, William III will automatically drop off the list in about a day, and this nomination is intended to replace that one once Raul schedules tomorrow's TFA. I just wont be around for the next several days, so I decided to make a pre-emptive strike. Hope y'all don't mind. Resolute 05:01, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

• Support Let me be the first to jump on this bandwagon. This is a timely selection. I must say as an American Hockey fan, I would like to see an explanation for the "Habs" in the WP:LEAD, however.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 05:47, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support - see Scotland national football team above. National institution vs. national soul. Smallbones (talk) 16:45, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support. We should be recognizing centennials. Karanacs (talk) 16:49, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support per above. Wizardman 19:48, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

December 6

George H. D. Gossip

George Hatfeild Dingley Gossip (1841–1907) was a minor American-English chess master and writer. He competed against most of the world's leading players in British and international chess tournaments between 1870 and 1895, but with only modest success. The writer G. H. Diggle calls him "the King of Wooden Spoonists" because he usually finished last in strong tournaments. Gossip was also a noted writer. His 1874 treatise "The Chess-Player's Manual—A Complete Guide to Chess" was harshly received by the critics, largely because he had included a number of informal skittles games that he had (atypically) won against stronger players. He developed a lifelong enmity toward chess critics, attacking them ferociously in his books. However, his 1879 book Theory of the Chess Openings was well received, becoming one of the standard opening works of the time. He made his living primarily as a journalist, author, and translator, writing for publications in England, France, Australia, and the United States. At various times he lived in each of those countries, Germany, and Canada. In 1898 and 1899, two publishers issued his only non-chess book, The Jew of Chamant. Published under the pseudonym "Ivan Trepoff", it was virulently anti-Semitic. Chess writers have often mocked Gossip's play. However, a modern assessment system, Chessmetrics, concludes that at his peak he was close to grandmaster strength. (more...)

• Three points: one as the anniversary of Gossip’s birth, and two because no similar article (an article related to chess or any other board game) has been Today’s featured article in over six months. Krakatoa (talk) 20:26, 6 November 2009 (UTC)
• Comment Points look good. I read the article when it showed on the template last night. Very interesting.--Wehwalt (talk) 20:59, 6 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support SyG (talk) 09:54, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support An interesting look at one of the colorful characters in chess history. Also a sobering reminder of how close to the intellectual mainstream anti-semitic views were prior to WWII. I am glad to see a nomination for an article on a game that doesn't require a console or a joystick. There are a number of fine chess related articles on WP. Hopefully more of them will make it to FA. Rusty Cashman (talk) 19:22, 7 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support, as stated by Rusty. It also is well-written, and impeccably researched and sourced. Kablammo (talk) 04:25, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support per Kablammo. Great article, interesting topic. GlassCobra 14:47, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support Not a particularly distinguished chess player but a very interesting character, and a well writtern and researched article Fletch79 (talk) 22:39, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
• Comment just a suggestion, for here and the article. Maybe the word "informal" before "skittles" would be helpful so the reader doesn't have to click. I think that whereever possible a lede should be self explanatory.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:08, 10 November 2009 (UTC)
  • Done. Krakatoa (talk) 17:54, 10 November 2009 (UTC)
• Support. This is not a topic we see frequently at TFA and will be a great addition to the main page. Karanacs (talk) 16:51, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

December 12

Planescape: Torment is a computer role-playing game (RPG) developed for Windows by Black Isle Studios (lead designer Chris Avellone pictured) and released on December 12, 1999 by Interplay Entertainment. It takes place in Planescape, a Dungeons & Dragons fantasy campaign setting. The game is primarily story-driven; combat is given less prominence than in most contemporary RPGs. The protagonist is an immortal who has lost his name, lived many lives, and forgotten them. The game focuses on his journey to reclaim his memories of these previous lives. The game was not a significant commercial success but received widespread critical praise for its immersive dialog, the dark Planescape setting, and the protagonist's unique persona, which shirked many characteristics of traditional RPGs. It was considered by many video game journalists to be the best RPG of 1999, and as a cult classic continues to receive attention long after its release. (more...)

2 pts for 10-year anniversary of release. I know this doesn't give it any points, but 12/12/09 is my birthday so I'd consider a support vote to be a nice present!  :)

I know Grim Fandango ran on November 12, and I'm hoping that doesn't count against the "within one month" - it seems to me that this is just outside of the one-month line. Plus, this is a 10-year anniversary, so not exactly arbitrary.  :) BOZ (talk) 20:05, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

• Support An anniversary of ten years is pretty significant and the game is well regarded still, even after all this time. This article nudged me to check out the game, so I'm looking favorably to this appearing on the front page. Hekerui (talk) 20:12, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Two points.--Wehwalt (talk) 20:43, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Thanks - that's what I was hoping for. :) BOZ (talk) 20:49, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

(Just in case, it should be pointed out that Grim Fandango was originally picked by Raul for Nov 11 sometime the week before, but moved on the 10th to Nov 12th (as I think it was caught that the 11th was Veteran's Day and a more appropriate article was there. As BOZ states, I believe this is still outside the 1 month boundary for that, so no point subtractions for that issue.) --MASEM (t) 20:54, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

December 17

Dan Castellaneta

Homer Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. Homer is the boorish father of the Simpson family. With his wife, Marge, he has three children: Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. As the family's provider, he works at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. Homer embodies several American working class stereotypes: he is crude, overweight, incompetent, clumsy, lazy and ignorant; however, he is also fiercely devoted to his family. He was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening and is voiced by Dan Castellaneta (pictured). Homer first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family got their own series on Fox, which debuted December 17, 1989. Homer is one of the most influential fictional characters on television. He was ranked the second greatest cartoon character by TV Guide and was voted the greatest television character of all-time by Channel 4 viewers. Castellaneta has won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and a special achievement Annie Award for voicing Homer. In 2000, Homer, along with the rest of his family, was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (more...)

The article was promoted over a year ago, that's one point. It commemorates a 20th anniversary, 2 points. So, at least three. Depending on your definition of similar article, it might gain another point.

By December 17, it will have been over 3 months since a similar article (I'm going by fictional character articles, so the most recent would be Khan Noonien Singh, which ran on September 4; a television-related article, North by North Quahog, went on September 21).

December 17 marks the 20th anniversary of the show's first episode, and Simpsons debut of the character. Another possibility for a TFA on that day is Bart Simpson. The Simpsons is a FA, but it previously ran on December 17, 2007 (so yes, this would be the second case of a Simpsons article running on that day, but does it really matter?). Now, if this day is rejected, another possibility is January 14, the airdate of "Bart the Genius" (which Fox considers the first "official" episode), in which case I would probably request Bart's page.

Yes, there have been four previous TFAs for The Simpsons - Homer's Phobiaon July 27, 2007; The Simpsons on December 17, 2007; Troy McClure on May 28, 2008; and Treehouse of Horror (series) on October 31, 2008. So, it's been over a year since a request was made. -- Scorpion⁰⁴²² 19:52, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Comment I find the image irritating. If it was The Simpsons it would work but when I see Homer Simpson and the face of this guy pops up - there's a disconnect there, even if he voices him. Hekerui (talk) 19:56, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

I think it would be much more "irritating" a) if there was no image and b) if it was on a The Simpsons TFA, as he wouldn't be the most relevant picture. An image of Castellaneta is perfectly relevant, an image of Homer is not allowed as it is fair-use. Gran² 20:01, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

I think it's very unlike there is a free use image of Homer Simpson anywhere. BUC (talk) 20:04, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

I know the fair-use rules, I just think Homer is such a well known figure that people will go "huh?" like me upon seeing this. Despite the man being important to Homer as such. Just my view. Hekerui (talk) 20:12, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Three points, North by North Quahog is in my opinion similar. While the anniversary is of the show, of course it is also the 20th anniversary of Homer Simpson's first appearance on the show (doh!). Can we get a photograph of some Simpsons merch that might be free use? Or the Hollywood star or the Homer as crop circle?--Wehwalt (talk) 20:38, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

My understanding of the fair use policies is that any image of a copyrighted character, either on a t-shirt or whatever, cannot be counted as free-use. This is in the article and is in the Commons as free-use: File:Homer Simpson in Cerne Abbans.JPG but not only is it a fairly small image I think it should actually be classified as fair use. The star has been used before and doesn't seem an improvement on the image of Castellaneta. TV TFAs have run in the past with a production guy as the image, I really don't see anything wrong with this. Gran² 20:51, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

December 27

Prairie Avenue is a north–south thoroughfare on the South Side of Chicago, which historically extended from 16th street in the Near South Side community area of Chicago to the city's southern limits and beyond. The street has a rich history from its origins as a major trail for horseback riders and carriages. During the last three decades of the 19th century, a six-block section of the street served as the residence of many of Chicago’s elite families and an additional four-block section was also known for grand homes. The upper six-block section includes the historic Prairie Avenue District, which was declared a Chicago Landmark and added to the National Register of Historic Places. Several of Chicago's most important historical figures have lived on the street, especially after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 when many of the most important families in the city moved to the street. Preservation battles regarding properties on the street have been notable with one having been chronicled on the front page of The New York Times. As of 2009, the street is being redeveloped. Redevelopment has extended the street north to accommodate new high-rise condominiums, such as One Museum Park, along Roosevelt Road (12th street) and bordering Grant Park. (more...)

• This is a three-pointer: two for age and one for decennial anniversary.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 21:08, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
• This article was nominated for its other anniversary in November, but two Illinois articles were put on the main page including Interstate 355, which was considered to be similar enough to reduce this article's point value.--TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 21:08, 13 November 2009 (UTC)