text:
John Arlott

Leslie Thomas John Arlott, (25 February 1914 – 14 December 1991) was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he became a cricket commentator noted for his "wonderful gift for evoking cricketing moments" by the BBC.

Early life
John Arlott was born in 1914 at Cemetery Lodge, Chapel Hill, Basingstoke in Hampshire, the son of cemetery registrar William John Arlott and Nellie (née Jenvey-Clarke). He attended Fairfields Primary School in Basingstoke before winning a scholarship to Queen Mary's Grammar School. Once at the school, however, he became embroiled in a feud with the headmaster, as the school "had not been wholly receptive to his young, independent, inquiring mind." Arlott eventually left the school of his own accord. He meanwhile showed an early interest in the local cricket matches; in 1926 he watched England and Australia play at The Oval, becoming a fan of Jack Hobbs, and later watched Sussex play Lancashire.

Pre-media career 1930–46
After leaving school, following a brief stint at the local town hall where he learned to type, he spent four years working at Park Prewett Mental Hospital in Basingstoke as a records clerk (1930–34). His friend David Rayvern Allen noted that it was there that "he discovered humanity in often dislocated forms, [which] was fundamental to his personal development." This was followed by twelve years as a policeman (1934–1946) in the Southampton County Borough Police Force, which later amalgamated with the Hampshire Constabulary in 1967. He progressed to the rank of sergeant while stationed at Southampton, and enjoyed the opportunity to watch Hampshire play at the County Ground while on duty at Northland Road. Though his cricket skills were not sufficient to play for the Southampton Police cricket XI, he was called upon at times to utilise the PA-system. He also studied Russian language and military history at the library of Southampton University, wrote reports for his chief constable, gave lectures to students, wrote poetry, and took up boxing, at which he was quite proficient.

First-class cricket experience
He played cricket at club level but would spend most of his free summer time following the Hampshire team both home and away. As a result of his regular support he became known to the team and this led to his one and only brief playing exposure to the first-class game. He was watching Hampshire play Kent at Canterbury in August 1938 when they discovered they would be short of a twelfth man for the following game. Being willing and available, young Arlott was co-opted and he travelled with the team to Worcester. Hampshire had had to use three substitute fielders when two of their XI were injured and skipper Cecil Paris suffered a puncture on his way to the ground.

The following day, the match report in the Western Daily Press named one of the substitutes as "Harlott", a local policeman and a Hampshire member. It was quite a memorable day in the field, with the Nawab of Pataudi scoring an elegant undefeated century for Worcester in one of his very rare appearances on the county circuit. The match ultimately fizzled out as just a tame draw with Hampshire scoring 313 and 91 – 2 and Worcester 413 – 3 declared. It was his one and only appearance in a first class cricket fixture and it proved to be the pinnacle of his playing career.

In 1980, he was asked whether playing first-class cricket on a regular basis might have provided him with greater insight as a cricket writer. He replied: "My word, I know what the problems are. I've failed at everything."

BBC debut
After being invited to make a public radio address to George VI on VE Day, 1945, he attracted the attention of the BBC, and of John Betjeman, who became a mentor for Arlott's poetic ambitions. Arlott subsequently joined the BBC as the Overseas Literary Producer the following year.

He was asked by the Head of the BBC Overseas Service, Donald Stevenson, to commentate on the warm-up games of India's tour of England in 1946. Arlott's commentary "went down very well in India" and he was invited to continue to commentate on further matches, including the Test matches, initiating a 34-year career as a cricket commentator for the BBC. At first he encountered some resentment from his colleagues in the commentary box, initially clashing with EW Swanton, but despite this he rapidly established his own particular niche. From 1946 until he retired at the end of the 1980 season, Arlott covered every single home Test match. He went on only two overseas England tours, to South Africa in 1948–1949 and Australia in 1954–1955.

Test Match Special
Prior to 1957, BBC radio covered every home Test match, with Arlott normally one of the commentators, but it did not broadcast uninterrupted ball-by-ball commentary. Test Match Special (TMS) was launched on 30 May 1957, providing a full ball-by-ball Test Match commentary service on the medium wave service of the BBC Third Programme. The first match covered was the first Test between England and the West Indies at Edgbaston. The TMS commentators that day were Arlott, Rex Alston and E. W. Swanton, with summaries provided by Ken Ablack, from the West Indies, together with Norman Yardley and Freddie Brown. When he retired in September 1980, he was the longest-serving TMS commentator, equalled by Brian Johnston in 1993 and subsequently exceeded by Christopher Martin-Jenkins.

Television commentary
Arlott undertook some BBC television cricket commentary, between 1964 and 1968 featuring matches between various counties vs an International Cavaliers X1, which were played on Sundays with 25 overs per side and then primarily on the Sunday League from 1969 to 1980. These John Player Sunday League limited over fixtures were 40 overs a side and were usually played between 2.00 pm and 6.30 pm. Arlott commentated on the first 20 overs of each innings with Jim Laker usually covering the last 20. He also briefly wrote, directed and narrated a topical local series for the BBC called ABC of the South in the 1960s but radio was his true metier.

Commentating style
Arlott was a popular commentator partly because of his gift for poetic phraseology. The BBC commented that "the style of commentary owed much to the poet in John. He would relish the phrases he used to describe what he saw and leave his colleagues wishing they could have thought of them," while Wisden wrote: "it is his unique gift for cricket commentary which will bring him lasting fame... His commentary technique was strongly influenced by his poetic sense. With the economy of a poet he could describe a piece of play without fuss or over-elaboration, being always conscious of its rhythm and mindful of its background. He was never repetitive or monotonous, except for effect. The listener's imagination was given free rein."

One comment often noted was made in 1975, to describe a shot by Clive Lloyd as "the stroke of a man knocking a thistle top off with a walking stick." On England's 1948–9 tour to South Africa, the England captain George Mann was bowled by his namesake Tufty Mann. Arlott memorably described it as "a case of Mann's inhumanity to Mann". He also had the advantage of a very distinctive voice. Frank Keating wrote of his "articulate, leisurely, confiding countryman's burr". Keating also compared his stature as a radio journalist with those of Richard Dimbleby and Alistair Cooke.

Final Test Match
Arlott's final Test commentary was on the Centenary Test between England and Australia at Lord's in 1980. At the end of his last session on the final day (2 September), he concluded with his customary phrasing "nine runs off the over – 28 Boycott, 15 Gower, 69 for 2 – and after Trevor Bailey it will be Christopher Martin-Jenkins." At the end of the following over, a public address announcement that Arlott had completed his final commentary session prompted the crowd to give Arlott an ovation. The entire Australian team in the field and the two England batsmen joined in, with Geoffrey Boycott removing his batting gloves to applaud. Later that day, after the match ended in a draw, he came onto the Lord's balcony to present the Man of the Match award. When he appeared, the crowd below again burst into a spontaneous ovation that lasted for several minutes before he was finally able to speak and make the presentation to Kim Hughes.

Four days later, Arlott returned to Lord's for his last commentary, covering the 1980 Gillette Cup final.

Writer
Arlott was a stylish writer, contributing regularly as a journalist and also writing the occasional hymn, of which the best-known is "God Whose Farm is All Creation", sung at harvest festival. Two others were "By the rutted roads we follow" for Plough Sunday and "We watched the winter turn its back" for Rogation. As his interest in wine developed he wrote two books on that subject; he also wrote poetry, considering his best poem to be the one dedicated to Sir Jack Hobbs on the latter's 70th birthday. Well-versed in cricket history, Arlott was often viewed as a leading authority, especially on the literature of the game. He wrote annual reviews of the year's cricket books for Wisden for every year from 1950 until 1992, except for 1979 and 1980. He also wrote a well received appreciation of Neville Cardus for the 1965 edition. He wrote articles on cricket art and history for the encyclopaedia Barclays World of Cricket.

He had many books published, including: Of Period and Place, a book of poetry (1944); Indian Summer (1946); Concerning Cricket (1949); Maurice Tate (1951); Test Match Diary (1953); Vintage Summer (1967); Fred – Portrait of a Fast bowler (1971); A Hundred Years of County Cricket (1973); John Arlott's book of cricketers (1979); Jack Hobbs: Profile of the Master (1981) and Basingstoke Boy: The Autobiography (1989). A Word From Arlott and Arlott in Conversation were published in 1983 and 1984 respectively as collections of his commentaries and writings. He was also the narrator and technical advisor for the documentary short film Cricket (1950).

Biographical writings about Arlott

 * Basingstoke Boy: Autobiography, by John Arlott, published 1992.
 * Arlott: The Authorised Biography, by David Rayvern Allen, published in 1993, won The Cricket Society Jubilee Literary Award.
 * John Arlott, A Memoir, written by his son Tim Arlott, was published in 1994.
 * Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket, by Stephen Fay and David Kynaston, 2018. This is a joint biography with the other great English cricket writer of the period, E.W. Swanton. It compares and contrasts their different views about cricket and its place in the world.

Journalism
His career in journalism began with the Evening News in 1950. In 1955 he switched to the News Chronicle, where he stayed until the paper folded in 1960. He began reporting football matches for The Observer in 1958. He also wrote occasional articles for The Times. Arlott joined The Guardian in 1968 as chief cricket correspondent, where he would stay until 1980. He was also asked to comment on football matches. He was assigned at his own request to cover the Manchester United v Red Star Belgrade European Cup match in Yugoslavia. At the last minute their chief soccer correspondent Donny Davies pulled rank and decided to go instead. The aircraft bringing back the team, officials and press crashed in what became known as the Munich air disaster and Davies was one of the fatalities. Arlott stopped covering soccer in 1977 after some violent post match incidents with hooligan fans.

Cricket Writers' Club
He became an early member of the Cricket Writers' Club, founded in 1947, whose dinners in those days were lavish affairs and often held in liveried halls. Basil Easterbrook, chairman in 1965, recalled an attempt to ban drinking until after the AGM which normally preceded the annual dinner. "There was much noise, calls for order and the singing of a ribald chorus of 'On Rosenwater's doorstep, down Leytonstone way' to the tune of Mother Kelly. Irving Rosenwater was a leading member at that time and some of the club's elder statesmen were angry enough to walk out. John Arlott was the chairman at that meeting and, as was his custom, had taken the odd sip of wine. John tried hard to bring some order to the proceedings by banging the table with a spoon, but he missed the table."

Working abroad
Ramchandra Guha, wrote about the interaction Arlott had with Vijay Merchant; he described Arlott's background with the "prejudices of a conventional British upbringing." In 1946, Arlott asked Merchant "whether in view of the ongoing sectarian violence, India really deserved independence. Should not the white man, he said, stay on to secure the peace?" Guha wrote that "...Friendship with Merchant broadened his social and political horizons". In 1948, he travelled to South Africa to cover the England cricket team's tour for the BBC, and openly voiced his distaste for the country's apartheid policy. When asked to mark his race on an immigration form – whether "white, Indian, coloured, black", Arlott wrote "human".

Arlott visited Australia during the winter of 1954–55, to cover the successful defence of The Ashes by the team led by Len Hutton. His next and last overseas assignment as a cricket commentator was over 20 years later for the BBC in Australia to commentate on the 1977 Centenary match where he described "the seagulls standing in line like vultures for Lillee".

D'Oliveira affair
Basil D'Oliveira was a South African who was classified as a Cape Coloured by the apartheid regime and consequently was ineligible to play first-class cricket. He wrote to Arlott in the late 1950s, after hearing his radio commentaries, because "his voice and the words he spoke convinced me he was a nice, compassionate man". He wanted help to find an opportunity to play professional cricket in England and Arlott finally got him a summer contract with Middleton Cricket Club in the Central Lancashire Cricket League in 1960. Arlott subsequently said that this was the achievement in his career of which he felt most proud. After topping the Central Lancashire League batting averages in his first season he subsequently graduated to the first-class county circuit with Worcestershire in 1964. D'Oliveira acquired British nationality the following year and was selected to play for England, making his Test debut against the West Indies at Lord's in June 1966.

During the 1968 Ashes series, D'Oliveira scored 158 on his recall to the England side in the 5th Test Match at The Oval, which seemed to make his selection for the winter tour to South Africa a certainty. However, when the touring side was announced he was controversially omitted amidst allegations of South African political interference with the selection committee. Arlott was incensed and condemned the selectors' decision in his press articles and publicly stated that he would not commentate on any matches involving the South African team during their scheduled tour of England in 1970. Arlott received support from many people over his uncompromising stand, including future England captain Mike Brearley, who called for the cessation of all South African tours, and the Reverend David Sheppard, who had been one of the first players to speak out against apartheid and who had also previously refused to play against the 1960 South African touring side. However, Arlott was subjected to some strong, not entirely unexpected, criticism from the English cricket establishment over his stance particularly by the former England captain Peter May, a Test selector, who wrote directly to him condemning the position that he had adopted.

When Tom Cartwright subsequently had to drop out of the touring side because of an injury, D'Oliveira was selected as his replacement, which led to the tour being cancelled by the South African government. The subsequent South African 1970 tour to England was also cancelled and they were then ostracised by the other Test playing countries. South Africa were then officially excluded from Test cricket for 21 years until they were reinstated by the ICC in 1991 following the South African government's legalisation of the ANC and the release of Nelson Mandela.

Cambridge Union Debate
Following the cancellation of the 1968 England tour by the South African government, the Cambridge Union decided to hold a debate on the motion "That politics should not intrude on sporting contacts". Former England captain Ted Dexter was invited to propose the motion, seconded by veteran all-round sportsman Wilf Wooller who had skippered Glamorgan to their first county championship in 1948. Both of these ex-players were friends of Arlott. Opposing the motion were the incumbent minister for sport, Denis Howell, seconded by Arlott.

Arlott spoke passionately against the motion stating that "It is political commitment and political belief that can make a man think that his opponent's views are so obnoxious that he will abstain from playing any game with him as a protest against what the other man believes. Any man's political commitment, if it is deep enough, is his very personal philosophy and it governs his whole way of life, it governs his belief, and it certainly governs the people with whom he is prepared to mix." The motion was duly defeated by 334–160. Despite their opposing positions over the issue, Arlott was drinking with Wooller in the Cambridge Union Bar shortly after the debate had finished.

Arlott maintained his strong views on the issue and two years later he came to an unprecedented agreement with the BBC to be excused from commentating on the upcoming Test series against South Africa in England without prejudicing his future commentary role on Test matches against other touring teams in subsequent years. However, the British government subsequently cancelled the tour over public order concerns at each Test venue. A Rest of the World side, captained by Gary Sobers and including five South African team members, played a five-match 'Test' series instead, with Arlott rejoining the TMS commentary team to cover those matches.

Friendship with Ian Botham
Ian Botham: "'I met John when I was 17 and took his picnic basket up to the commentary box. There were four bottles of Beaujolais in that basket. Being a cider-boy I thought wine was a namby-pamby drink. But I was gripped as John started talking to me, this dumb yokel, about wine. His command of English just rolled off him. He got out some cheese and said this goes best with that wine. 'Go on,' he'd say, have a taste.' Our incredible friendship started and he became my mentor. These days they call 'em life-gurus or some such crap.'"

Botham also had a holiday home nearby in Alderney and during the last seven years of Arlott's life they often had two meals a day together when he was staying on the island. "'At six minutes past nine every morning the phone would ring. John would say, 'C'mon over – and bring your thirst with you.' At the end when the emphysema took over and he was struggling with speech he had an oxygen mask and I often had to empty his bag for him. But he liked me being there because I knew to wait and let him finish his sentences between gasps. I didn't try to say the words for him because I knew how much they mattered. That was strange for me – to be patient and quiet. But I always wanted to listen to John.'"

On New Year's Day 1992, Botham and his wife instigated a family tradition of breaking open a bottle of Beaujolais at Arlott's grave and toasting his memory.

Presidency of the Cricketers' Association
He was a great advocate of county cricket and its players. He became President of the Cricketers' Association in 1968, which aimed to raise salaries and improve the conditions of employment of the county cricketer. Wisden noted that "'democratic views and wise counsel earned him much respect in the cricket world and among the players. His moderation and tact helped in some tight corners, notably at the time of the Packer Affair, when he strove to keep the Cricketers' Association neutral.'"

Master's Club
Arlott had developed a close friendship with Sir Jack Hobbs, who ran a sports shop in Fleet Street after his retirement from cricket. Arlott's admiration and respect led him to establish the Master's Club to honour his birthday, on 16 December. The inaugural lunch was held in 1953 at a restaurant in Fleet Street and was attended by John Marshall (London Evening News), Kenneth Adam (BBC) and Alf Gover (Surrey). Membership of the club increased over the years and the annual lunch was eventually moved to the Long Room at The Oval. Despite the demise of all of the original members, it still thrives and continues to meet for lunch every year either on, or close to, Hobbs' 16 December birthday. In keeping with tradition, the lunch always consists of Sir Jack's favourite meal, roast lamb followed by apple pie.

Dream Desert Island XI
Arlott's dream team contained seven Englishmen, three West Indians and only one Australian. The team in probable batting order was: Jack Hobbs, Mike Brearley, Vivian Richards, Learie Constantine, Ted Dexter, Ian Botham, Keith Miller, Wilfred Rhodes, George Brown (WK), Jim Laker and Wes Hall. The reserves were Basil D'Oliveira, Doug Wright, Leo Harrison (WK) and Frank Tyson.

He was also invited in 1981 to select his Best XI from players who, for a wide variety of reasons, were never capped by England. His team was John Langridge (Sussex), Maurice Hallam (Leicestershire), Emrys Davies (Glamorgan), Edgar Oldroyd (Yorkshire), Jack Newman (Hampshire), Harry Martyn (WK) (Somerset), Peter Sainsbury (Hampshire), Wilf Wooller (Captain) (Glamorgan), Don Shepherd (Glamorgan), Charles Kortright (Essex) and Tom Wass (Nottinghamshire). "The side bats down to No. 7. There are seven bowlers...it has at least six good catchers and a number of cricketers of competitive quality and good temperament: and it would be good to watch."

Wine connoisseur
During a stopover in Sicily in 1949, on his return journey from South Africa, Arlott tasted wine for the first time at the age of 35. From that day he eschewed beer and spirits and devoted himself to cultivating his love of wine. The following year, after recommending some wine to John Marshall, the editor of the London Evening News, he was invited to write a weekly wine column for that newspaper and this resulted in invitations to press tours of French wine regions.

In due course he became a connoisseur of wine, and was often accompanied by some good claret to help lubricate his voice through a day of cricket commentating. He subsequently wrote a regular wine column for The Guardian newspaper and he also published two books, Burgundy Vines and Wines co-written with Christopher Fielden in 1976, and Arlott on Wine in 1987. Before retiring to Alderney, he auctioned his well-stocked wine cellar containing many fine clarets, at Sotheby's.

Politics
Arlott espoused strong liberal and humanitarian political views and he stood as the Liberal candidate for Epping in both the 1955 and 1959 general elections, coming third on both occasions but achieving strong support at a time when the Liberals were weak nationally. He appeared frequently on the radio programme Any Questions?, on which panellists debate topical issues of the day.

Reviewing John Arlott: Cricket's Radical Voice, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 to mark the twentieth anniversary of his death, Gillian Reynolds wrote in the Daily Telegraph of "Arlott's independence, his Englishness, sense of fairness and justice, sympathy for the underdog and relish for the beautiful and the good".

Desert Island Discs
Arlott was twice invited to appear on Desert Island Discs with Roy Plomley, in May 1953 and again in May 1975.

In May 1953 he selected: "Lord Lovel" by Robert Irwin; "Land of My Fathers" by Crowd at Wales V Ireland Rugby Match, 12 March 1949; "These Foolish Things" by Greta Keller; "The foggy, foggy dew" by Benjamin Britten; "Bella figlia dell'amore" (from Rigoletto) by Giuseppe Verdi; "Little Sir William" by Benjamin Britten; "In Dulci Jubilo" by Choir of King's College, Cambridge; Symphony No. 7 in A major by Ludwig van Beethoven; his luxury item was a second-hand bookshop.

In May 1975 he selected Melody in F major, Op. 3/1 by Anton Rubinstein; "Mercy Pourin' Down" by Edric Connor; "Kalinka" by Don Cossacks; "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas (his nominated favourite); "To Lizbie Brown" by Gerald Finzi; "Buttercup Joe" by The Yetties; "Go Down You Red Red Roses" by Burl Ives; and "The Boars" by the Elizabeth Singers; his luxury item was champagne.

Awards
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1970 New Year Honours. He was made a life member of the MCC in 1980. He won the Sports Journalist of the Year Award in 1979, and was Sports Presenter of the Year in 1980. In July 1973 the University of Southampton awarded him an honorary degree, and in June 1981 he was afforded the same honour by The Open University. His contribution to British radio is commemorated in The Radio Academy's Hall of Fame.

Personal life
Arlott was married three times: his first wife was Dawn Rees (married 18 May 1940 – divorced 1958), with whom he had two sons, James Andrew (1944–1965) and Timothy Mark (born 1950). His second wife was Valerie France (married July 1960 – died 1976), with whom he had a third son Robert, (born 1963), after a daughter named Lynne had died at birth the previous year. His third wife was Patricia Hoare (6 April 1977 – 1991) who survived him. Arlott's eldest son Jim was killed in a car accident on New Year's Eve 1965, driving home late at night from Southampton in a sports car which Arlott had helped him to buy. This tragedy resulted in Arlott always wearing a black tie in remembrance of his son and in penance for his own role in the tragedy.

Retirement and later life
He retired as a cricket commentator at the end of the 1980 season. "The decision was freely taken; and although it was not easy to go, was a better choice than, one day, being told to go." Four days after the Centenary Test at Lord's ended in a draw, Arlott made his very last commentary, covering the Gillette Cup Final between Surrey and Middlesex for BBC Radio 3.

Leaving New Alresford in 1981, after 20 years, he moved to The Vines on Alderney in the Channel Islands. His health was fragile and he suffered from emphysema and chronic bronchitis after years of smoking.

Death
He died in his sleep in the early morning on Saturday 14 December 1991 and was buried in the island cemetery. Engraved on his headstone were two lines from one of his own poems (originally dedicated to Andrew Young): "So clear you see those timeless things, That, like a bird, the vision sings".

Memorial trust
The Princess Royal, as President of the Rural Housing Trust, gave a reception at Buckingham Palace on 10 February 1993 to launch the John Arlott Memorial Trust in conjunction with the National Playing Fields Association. The trust was a tribute to Arlott's memory in creating a fund to provide affordable village housing and recreational areas in some of England's 8,000 villages and it is now a national charity chaired by former newscaster Sir Trevor McDonald. The annual charity dinner is sponsored by the Rioja Wine Exporters Group reflecting his great fondness for that particular wine.

New Alresford memorial
Arlott had originally bought the former pub in New Alresford in 1961. It had originally been called The Sun Inn prior to its closure in 1958, but he renamed it The Old Sun. He completely renovated the interior, especially the large cellar for his collection of fine wine. He also became active in the local community becoming President of the newly founded Alresford Historical and Literary Society in 1966 until he relocated to Alderney 15 years later. Subsequently, at a ceremony on 21 June 2009, a plaque commemorating his 20 years of living at the Old Sun between 1961 and 1981 was unveiled by his sons Tim and Robert Arlott. The plaque was funded by The Cricket Society and the guest of honour, who cut the ceremonial cake, was his oldest friend Leo Harrison (then 87). This was followed by an inaugural local village cricket competition, with participating teams from Tichborne, Old Alresford, Ropley and Cheriton, for the annual John Arlott Cup.

Memorable quotes by Arlott
The Times newspaper in March 2006 published a list of 25 favourite sporting quotes – these two Arlottisms were included:

Bradman out for a duck: "Hollies pitches the ball up slowly and ... he's bowled... Bradman bowled Hollies, nought ... bowled Hollies nought ... and what do you say under these circumstances? I wonder if you see the ball very clearly in your last Test in England, on a ground where you've played some of the biggest cricket in your life and where the opposing side has just stood round you and given you three cheers, and the crowd has clapped you all the way to the wicket. I wonder if you see the ball at all." (1948)

We have a freaker: "We have got a freaker [sic] down the wicket now, not very shapely as it is masculine, and I would think it has seen the last of its cricket for the day ... he has had his load, he is being embraced by a blond policeman and this may well be his last public appearance – but what a splendid one!" (1975)

Other Arlott quotes: "Australianism' means single-minded determination to win – to win within the laws but, if necessary, to the last limit within them. It means where the 'impossible' is within the realm of what the human body can do, there are Australians who believe that they can do it – and who have succeeded often enough to make us wonder if anything is impossible to them. It means they have never lost a match – particularly a Test match – until the last run is scored or their last wicket down." (1949)[15]

"I'm going while people are still asking me why I'm going rather than thinking why doesn't he go." (1980)

"In 1980, Trevor Bailey and the writer were largely responsible for a fresh cricket commentary noise, the popping of champagne corks. The senior men and BBC representatives......have all been temperate men, not teetotallers but as a rule disinclined to take wine – or any other alcoholic drink – during the course of the working day....Latterly though, Brian Johnston has been coaxed round by way of Pouilly Fume to the occasional hock and now, fizz. The others have required little persuasion." (1981)

"I owe almost everything to Neville. I remember reading 'The Summer Game' when I was in my teens. Suddenly, my eyes were opened to this semi-mythology of cricketers and always said to Neville that any success I had was due to the imaginative stimulus he gave me." – his view of Neville Cardus.

Memorable quotes about Arlott
"The very personification of cricket." Prime Minister John Major, 1991

"He was cricket, there has never been a commentator like him and there never will be." Ian Botham, former England Captain, 1991

"I think that he spread the gospel about cricket around the world more than anyone else." Brian Johnston, fellow commentator, 1991

"A man of deep humanity." David Frith, editor of Wisden Cricket Monthly, 1992

"He was generous with his time in the company of friends. I once sat down to Sunday lunch with John, his family and some friends at two o'clock, and we did not get up from the table until ten at night." Mike Brearley, 1992

"Johnston provided the life, Arlott the soul." Paul Coupar writing about the history of TMS on its 50th anniversary 2007

Biographies
Arlott: The Authorised Biography, by David Rayvern Allen, published in 1993, won The Cricket Society Jubilee Literary Award. A second biography, John Arlott, A Memoir, written by his son Tim Arlott, was published in 1994.

title: John Arlott


text:
George Brettingham Sowerby III

George Brettingham Sowerby III (16 September 1843 – 31 January 1921) was a British conchologist, publisher, and illustrator.

He, too, worked (like his father George Brettingham Sowerby II and his grandfather George Brettingham Sowerby I) on the Thesaurus Conchyliorium, a comprehensive, beautifully illustrated work on molluscs. He was colour blind, and thus his daughter did most of the colouring of his engravings.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: George Brettingham Sowerby III


text:
Talk:1996

Page layout years
There is a discussion on my talk page on page layout.

For most of the last three hundred years there is inconsistency and duplication between the year in topic paragraph, the "see also" box and what is on the year by topic pages. Prior to 1950 I am pretty convinced we can painlessly (except for sore fingers) delete all of the year in topic paragraphs and ensure that the material goes into a "see also" box, creating such a box where none exists. Post 1950, particularly from the "year in US television" link a lot of material has been added to this paragraph as highlights (sometimes making up most of the page content pointed at).

Personally I think we should still delete the paragraph, keep the box linking to the topic sites and move any particularly important parts of the year in topic paragraph to the main chronological list. This does involve undoing quite a bit of work which someone has done.

Therefore, unlike for prior to 1950 (where I've said no objection= I do it) for post 1950 I won't touch these pages unless a significant number of people agree with the change. (I am also unlikely to get the pre 1950 stuff done before summer unless the service speed improves dramatically). talk--BozMo 13:41, 7 May 2004 (UTC)

Date of Quake's release
Wikipedia has September, but has May—Trevor Caira 15:58, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
 * The link redirects to a website selling automotive spark plugs. Serves me right for opening a link from nearly 16 years ago. MightyArms (talk) 07:58, 20 September 2020 (UTC)

Poverty
first sentence: designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. But by who? The UN? Axezz 14:13, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)

July 8 item concerning Israeli PM - source?
I note the item concerning the Isralei PM for July 8th. What's the source of this claim?

 * Aside from the source, I'm not sure that it is of major historical interest in the same way as other entries. The receipt of a report is not a major milestone. Further, the text appears to make an argument rather than simply reporting the event. Unless someone can defend it I think we should remove it. -Will Beback 05:00, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

September 19 HSBC Arena incident
127.5 Million dollar scoreboard? I'm a bit skeptical. Source, please.

March 19, Sarajevo
I'm not entirely sure what this is referring to. The siege was declared officially over on Febuary 29, 1996. Bosniak should probably be Bosnian and Serbs should probably be VRS or similar. Any input is welcomed. Zetetic Apparatchik 12:06, 28 July 2006 (UTC)
 * March 19 - Sarajevo becomes a united city again when Bosniak authorities take control of the last district held by Serbs.

Faux Pas (webcomic)
Please explain what you mean not supported by the article. It says 1996 establishments —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.236.216.95 (talk) 14:35, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

 * Yes it did. That was not supported in the article.  Only 1970s and 2001 were documented.  — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 14:54, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Taking another look at this one, I agree with Arthur:

 * You've linked to the wrong article; should be Faux Pas (webcomic) not faux pas.
 * The article itself does not say 1996, except in that categorisation which you added, without citing a source. Instead it says 'late 1970s', and '2001'. Its not clear at all from the article when the comic went online.
 * The only sources for that article are the webcomic site itself, which does not qualify as a reliable source - see WP:SELFPUB, item 7 (its ok on the rest of the counts there)
 * The only claim on the website is that the copyright runs from 1996 to the present, not that the webcomic has been there all that time. In fact, checking at back to 1997 shows that the webcomic was not there, it was a site used to sell artwork. From checking the archive the description changed from Faux Pas prints to Faux Pas online strips sometime between October 2000 and February 2001 (theres a missing page in the archive).
 * In short, not only is the specific, referenced, date missing from the article, it appears that adding it to the article wouldn't be supportable either. Bazzargh (talk) 15:01, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

Tornado man
My apologies for not catching it. — Arthur Rubin (talk) 19:44, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

Queen advises early divorce of Charles & Diana
As the divorce was finalized on 28th August 1996, surely this item should preside in December 1995 and not '96. Moved to 1995. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.6.239.30 (talk) 19:27, 27 June 2012 (UTC)
 * Why should divorces be on main year articles? Jim Michael (talk) 17:44, 13 November 2021 (UTC)

Births data dump
added hundreds of entries to the Births section, more than in any other year, and more pictures than in any other year (guideline is at most 2 per month, regardless of the space to be filled). I think the status quo ante of only about 30 notable births should be restored, and possibly a hundred or so more. I think many of those fail to meet even the minimal "importance" requirements of WP:WikiProject Years; if they do, the requirements need to be tightened, as the article is too long as it is. The editor stated that he went through the list (he didn't say what list), and removed 10s of the less notable ones. I don't doubt that, but there are still far too many. — Arthur Rubin (talk) 01:18, 26 July 2014 (UTC)
 * I agree that it is extremely unlikely that all those added are internationally notable. Every entry without a non-English article should be removed immediately, 17/18 years after their death and no other language has bothered to create an article is an extremely strong indication of no international notability. I would argue that in a comparatively recent year such as this even those with less than non-English 5 articles are almost certainly not sufficiently notable for inclusion. DerbyCountyinNZ (Talk Contribs) 01:35, 26 July 2014 (UTC)
 * As we (Arthur Rubin and myself) had discussed on his talk page I explained to him that when I expanded the section using Category:1996 births I ignored and weeded out several tens of articles that I deemed undeserving of an entry, and we agreed that if, after going through the list (which you're also free to do DerbyCountyinNZ), he deems 10% or more of the articles don't have any kind of international notability (using AWB and User:Davykamanzi/sandbox/1996 births x, I counted 728 individuals, so 10% of that is rounded off to 73 articles), he will completely revert all the entries I added. Davykamanzi → talk • contribs • alter ego 11:04, 26 July 2014 (UTC)
 * And one more thing I don't think "international notability" is (or should be) limited to having non-English Wikipedia articles. If Usain Bolt was the person he is today (assuming he was born in 1996) but didn't have any non-English Wikipedia articles, he would still have massive international notability anyway. In fact, I could use Zendaya as an example instead of Bolt. Whether or not she had articles on non-English Wikipedias she would still merit an entry in this article because she's massively notable around the world. Davykamanzi → talk • contribs • alter ego 23:24, 26 July 2014 (UTC)
 * This discussion should be centralised at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Years as it pertains to all Year articles. DerbyCountyinNZ (Talk Contribs) 00:45, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

People who were born in 1996 are now adults, so they should be a lot of notable people who were born in 1996 listed in this article. They are a lot of people listed in the year 1995, the year before 1996 and 1997, the year after 1996, so why they aren't that much listed in 1996? It's not fair. MuppetHammer26II (talk) 01:39, 18 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Our guideline/MOS, rather than what any project may prefer, is key here (where the two diverge). See WP:LISTPEOPLE. That said, I think it makes sense to limit this page to those individuals who have English wikipedia articles, even though that is more stringent an approach than generally used on lists (where otherwise having appropriate RS refs is another acceptable criterion). But if the entry has a wp article on the English wp, I'm at this point fine with inclusion. As to images, I think it appropriate to have a number of images that fill (but are no longer than) the right hand side of the listed entries. Epeefleche (talk) 22:58, 23 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Actually, that's not correct. The list guidelines provide some guidance as to what should and should not be in list articles, but the "data dump" list of  would be redundant to the category, and be unworkable.  If you want to create an article "List of 1996 births", go ahead, but this is not that article.  However, if you did that, I would nominate it for deletion as being redundant to the category.  — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 05:56, 24 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Arthur -- you're applying your own personal standards. As with your last deletion -- you just deleted the name of an athlete drafted in the first round from the highest international professional league of a major sport ... based on your own personal criteria that he is not internationally notable enough ... while our notability tests in any event go to coverage (and he has international coverage to boot). That heavy-handed inappropriate personal point of view editing. I suggest we stick with guidelines, not any one editor's personal "wouldn't it be great if I could have convinced the community this should be a guideline, but I didn't" approach. This article is full of embedded lists -- this is "that" article.
 * And as you know, I would think, the argument that a list is redundant to a category is one that has always been rejected -- they serve different purposes. That is a very clear case. It has been rejected time after time at AfD -- have you not seen the AfDs? Or read our guideline (again -- I'm pointing to a guideline, not a personal point of view as you are as to what you would like to be a guideline) WP:NOTDUP? Which states, inter alia, "It is neither improper nor uncommon to simultaneously have a category, a list, and a navigation template which all cover the same topic. These redundant systems of organizing information are considered to be complementary, not inappropriately duplicative. Furthermore, arguing that a category duplicates a list (or vice versa) at a deletion discussion is not a valid reason for deletion and should be avoided. ". Epeefleche (talk) 18:05, 25 January 2015 (UTC)
 * I see a general consensus that this article is covered by WikiProject Years "guidelines"; if you disagree, now would be the time to bring that up. If you as gree, you need to establish a new consensus. — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 06:31, 26 January 2015 (UTC)
 * Your argument potentially supports List of 1996 births, not adding to this article. Perhaps I would be wrong to suggest deletion of that article. — Arthur Rubin  (talk) 06:34, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 04:21, 6 August 2018 (UTC)
 * 6ix9ine in 2018.png

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for speedy deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for speedy deletion: You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 10:21, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Kendjin.jpg

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 03:36, 24 September 2018 (UTC)
 * 6ix9ine July 2018 face.jpg

Eclipses
See WT:YEARS for a matter relevant to this page. Arthur Rubin (alternate) (talk) 23:09, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 03:06, 26 July 2019 (UTC)
 * Lola Beltrán graffiti.jpg

Collage thoughts
Please let me know if anyone has any disagreements on the images included in the collage, and I will put it up for vote. Thanks The ganymedian (talk) 22:44, 8 October 2022 (UTC)
 * We don't need the first image as there is already an image for the Olympics in Atlanta - choose the Games or the explosion (which caused minimal damage/injury, compared with many others during the year). Deb (talk) 08:20, 13 October 2022 (UTC)
 * there is a discussion about the 1996 Collage at User_talk:4me689/collage_discussions  4me689  (talk) 18:05, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

Please add to births, March 29

 * Wade Baldwin IV, American basketball player — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2603:7000:2143:8500:391A:7A6E:2C77:1131 (talk) 21:16, 1 February 2023 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 01:22, 11 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Intelsat708.jpg

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 09:52, 13 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Dove Cameron Vogue - 4.jpg

Dolly on the photomontage
@Deb @Nagae Iku @The0Quester

Dolly the Sheep does not belong on the photomontage. The animal was born in 1996, but the announcement for its creation was on 11 February 1997. Any thoughts? DementiaGaming (talk) 21:43, 23 February 2024 (UTC)

 * I agree. Deb (talk) 09:14, 24 February 2024 (UTC)
 * I also have some other ideas, like replacing the image for the Port Arthur massacre. A brick obelisk does not represent a mass shooting well enough for me.
 * I propse we remove the 1997 Central European flood to replace with this event to go on the 1997 collage, and replace the missing slot in 1996 with the Air Africa crash in January. DementiaGaming (talk) 15:00, 25 February 2024 (UTC)

Nintendo 64
Why was the Nintendo 64 release removed from the events in this year? There was a source listed for it. NintendoTTTEfan2005 (talk) 07:27, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

 * In fact, here they are. NintendoTTTEfan2005 (talk) 07:35, 28 April 2024 (UTC)
 * In fact, here they are. NintendoTTTEfan2005 (talk) 07:35, 28 April 2024 (UTC)

Collage
I don't know exactly how and when it was decided to include the re-release of a hit record in the US (which seems to be from the previous year in any case), but it's really not appropriate so I have commented out the collage pending discussion. Deb (talk) 14:53, 18 July 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:1996


title: Talk:1994


text:
Hellenic Football League

The Hellenic Football League, currently known as the uhlsport Hellenic Football League for sponsorship reasons, is an English men's football league covering an area including the English counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire,  southern Herefordshire, southern Warwickshire, northern Wiltshire and southern Worcestershire. There were also teams from Berkshire southern Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Hampshire and Northamptonshire, Surrey until the 2020–21 season.

History

The league was established in 1953. In the 2000–01 season, the Hellenic League absorbed the Chiltonian League. The league now has a Premier Division and Division One as part of the National League System. The league also runs Division Two East, Division Two West, Division Two North and Division Two South below the National League System. In the 2006–07 season the Hellenic League absorbed the Banbury District and Lord Jersey FA Veterans League with three Divisions now under the Hellenic Veterans League title.

Starting with the 2004–05 re-organisation the Hellenic League became a step 5 and 6 league in the National League System. Premier Division clubs play at Step 5 level, which offers progression to the Southern Football League Division One (Step 4) for Premier Division winners who have the required ground status.

Hellenic League Division One teams play at Step 6 level, promotion to the Step 5 Premier Division can be gained by clubs finishing in the top two of Division One dependent on required ground facilities as specified by The Football Association. Acceptance to HL Division One is offered to teams playing in the various Step 7 county leagues of the related Hellenic League area.

38 teams play in the Hellenic Premier and Division One. 18 teams play at Veterans level (players aged 35 or over).

Champions
The league started with only a Premier Division, before Division One was added in 1956.

For the 1971–72 season, Division One was split into Division One A and B.

The following season, Division One A and B were merged and a Division Two was created.

The following season, Division One and Division Two were merged.

In 2000, the league absorbed the Chiltonian League and Division One was regionalised into East and West.

In 2021, Division One East and West were merged again.

Cup winners
The Hellenic League football cups are the Supplementary Cup, the Challenge Cup and the Floodlit Cup.

title: Hellenic Football League


text:
Talk:One pound coin

Manx Coins
No discussion about the Manx coins? -- Kaihsu 13:44, 2004 May 7 (UTC)
 * No, they're not legal tender in the rest of the UK. -- Arwel 14:07, 7 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Well, to start, the Isle of Man is not part of the UK, but I have certainly seen Manx coins being used here in England.... Maybe a new article should be started for them? (Sadly, I recently spent one of these buying a sandwich in Oxford.) -- Kaihsu 16:09, 2004 May 7 (UTC)
 * And I have seen Gibraltarian ones used here as well. -- Kaihsu 19:26, 2004 May 7 (UTC)
 * Oh, certainly very rarely you'll find Manx, or Gibraltar, or Jersey, or Guernsey pounds in your change, but the reason they're rare is because they're not legal tender and someone's slipped them into circulation over here without the recipient noticing! Anyway, I haven't written anything about them 'cos I don't know enough details about them! :) -- Arwel 20:35, 7 May 2004 (UTC)
 * As you no doubt know, legal tender means nothing in everyday transactions, as it refers to money that cannot be refused to pay off a pre-existing debt. Shopkeepers are free to refuse even legal tender if they want to, because you haven't got into debt with them. "I can't take that, it's not legal tender" is a phrase used by racist shopkeepers as a legal-sounding reason for why they want to discriminate against your money. Banks will happily accept (genuine) Manx pound coins and pay you £1 for them. In Scotland, we have our own banknotes, and face the same problem when we go "abroad" to England with our very real money! Scottish shops have no problem taking the not-legal-tender Scottish banknotes, why not English shops? 80.41.214.111 (talk) 08:51, 16 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Irish and Scottish notes are Promissory_notes so outside of where they are issued they are just colourful pieces of paper. 86.44.78.37 (talk) 21:53, 10 February 2011 (UTC)
 * True, genuine Northern Irish and Scottish banknotes are not legal tender all over the UK. But they are far from being "just colourful pieces of paper", since legally they have the same value as Bank of England notes. It is only the legal status of their use in different monetary transactions that varies. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:41, 10 February 2011 (UTC)

Merger
Surely this should be merged with Pound Sterling, any opinions? Boffy b 23:16, 2004 Aug 20 (UTC)
 * Certainly not -- that's about the currency, this is about the physical artefact. -- Arwel 19:13, 21 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Title
British coin One Pound strikes (no pun intended) me as a really awkward construction - certainly not something that anybody except possibly a numismatist is going to stumble across by accident. Wouldn't British One Pound coin or Pound coin (United Kingdom) be better?

Surely "sterling" should be used instead of "British", even if the code is GBP.

Standing on the shoulders of giants
I saw this text on some 1 pound coins' sides a month ago, when I was in England. It is not mentioned in the article... Why not? -- Euyyn

 * Because it's not on the £1 coin, it's the edge inscription of the £2 coin. -- Arwel 12:38, 30 August 2005 (UTC)

It's also a quote attributed to Isaac Newton — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.144.236.42 (talk) 18:14, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

Pictures of the Coin
The Royal Mint page (as linked to at the bottom) contains very clear images of all the coins, is it possible to use those ones instead of the worn-looking ones that are currently there? Especially given that the 2006 coin appears to have already been retrieved from there. JimmyK

Definitely Minglex 21:13, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

 * Definitely not - see that "Crown Copyright 2006. Royal Mint." at the bottom of the Royal Mint page? Crown Copyright is definitely incompatible with the GFDL licence Wikipedia operates under. Images licenced under GFDL, however poor, are always to be preferred over copyrighted or so-called "fair use" images as a matter of Wikipedia policy. -- Arwel (talk) 01:03, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

 * Yes, I was wondering whether that would be an issue, however, if this is the case, from where was the image of the 2006 coin retrieved? -- JimmyK 19:21, 27 August 2006 (UTC)

Maggie
I don't think "maggie" was ever really a genuine nickname for the coin - it was just a joke: "It is sometimes called a 'Maggie' because it's think and brassy and thinks it's a sovereign." I never heard this "nickname" used in any other context than this joke. TomH 18:38, 28 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I'd agree -- I've never even heard it as a joke. It definitely doesn't belong right at the top. Benjcohen 13:39, 12 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Another joke was about calling it a Scargill, for reasons just as unflattering. This went on to say that a fifty pence coin would then be 'alf a Scargill. Moonraker2 (talk) 20:57, 6 December 2009 (UTC)
 * Go on...tell ust the Scargill joke.--82.134.28.194 (talk) 13:17, 17 September 2010 (UTC)

The "Maggie" name was circulating around the House of Commons. I was told it by a newly reelected Tory MP shortly after they were introduced. I heard the term used on TV and have heard/employed it in conversations with those who are old enough to remember Baroness Thatcher. (BTW, "thick (not think), brassy and pretending to be a sovereign") Martin of Sheffield (talk) 08:26, 6 May 2016 (UTC)

Examples of fakes
I uploaded these images of a fakes next to a real coins if its of any use

obverse
I note that for the years 2004-7 the obverse is given as "Obverse: Rank-Broadley head, inscription ELIZABETH II D G REG F D 2004, starting below, IRB directly under the bust. Encircled by dots." Is this needed? The obverse is already mentioned at the top of the article. Maybe this text should be removed. Alternatively, maybe obverse information should be included for all years.

NotMuchToSay 15:47, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

IRA stamp
There are quite alot of pound coins circulating in Northern Ireland that have had IRA stamped on them. Is this worthy of a mention? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.145.108.37 (talk) 14:16, 28 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Not unless you tell us which banks do or do not accept them.--82.134.28.194 (talk) 07:16, 21 September 2010 (UTC)

Face value vs. number of pieces
I just updated the "in circulation" quote based on Royal Mint numbers, and there they have separate values for "face value" and "number of pieces" that are different. Anyone know why the face value is higher than the number of coins? — PhilHibbs | talk 14:14, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Counterfiing
"Also, the writing on the edge may be in the wrong font and look very poor (see image), and the coins often generally look much less sharp and defined, lacking intricate details."

But every genuine issue so far has edge detail. So any coin lacking detail a much better giveaway? Martinevans123 (talk) 21:18, 17 April 2009 (UTC)

 * Can the 1983 coin edge inscription appear in either orientation, or does one style indicate a fake? Martinevans123 (talk) 17:12, 27 September 2010 (UTC)

2008 Design
The first coin design description mentions issue 2008 of the pound coin is an ornamental royal arms, where the 2008 image it is just normal coat of royal arms. Not sure which is correct. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.47.89.243 (talk) 11:30, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

i corrected an error which was then reverted...
in the text of the article you will find:

"1983, 1993, 2003 & 2008"

which is incorrect, as far as i can tell, according to the source cited by the article itself (#1).

it should be:

"1983, 1993, 1998 & 2003"

however when i edited it, the user Martinevans123 reverted it. So, i think im right, and i would like the article to reflect my correction. What should i do?

Kavonjoon (talk) 22:19, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

 * See your talk page. Thanks. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:21, 9 January 2011 (UTC)

Over use of non-free images
At the end of March 2011, I raised an issue regarding the heavy use of non-free images on numismatics articles at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Numismatics. Three weeks later, there's been no response. My intention is to remove much of the non-free content of coins/notes from this article for violating WP:NFCC #3a, requirement for minimal use, and WP:NFCC #8, since many/all of the non-free images are designs not specifically referred to in the text by externally sourced commentary. If you have concerns about this issue, your are invited to discuss it at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Numismatics. Thank you, --Hammersoft (talk) 19:54, 21 April 2011 (UTC)

Decus et Tutamen
Decus does not mean shield in any way, shape or form. The cited page "Short History" is incorrect, thus I am removing it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.141.126.79 (talk) 12:21, 4 October 2013 (UTC)

Guys, decus et tutamen in latin means honor and defense. PaoloS 109.236.171.97 (talk) 23:06, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

 * "An Ornament and a Safeguard", according to the Royal Mint http://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk-coins/coin-design-and-specifications/one-pound-coin Ghughesarch (talk) 00:56, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

Royal Arms
These (for 2015) are listed in the table, but the features (i.e. new portrait of the queen) aren't reflected in the text. Would someone like to do the honours?

see hxxp:// tinyurl dot com/je6gft2

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.146.111.29 (talk) 16:35, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

 * There were two completely different reverse designs in 2015 - one featured the shield as has been used since 2008, and the other was a newly designed image of the whole coat of arms.
 * The designs are visible on the list provided by the Royal Mint . However, the mintage figures do not include the latter of these designs.
 * According to the Change Checker blog, the figures given by the Royal Mint are most likely an error, as the shield with the 5th portrait was issued in sets only and so would not have such a high mintage.
 * Does anyone else have more information on this? The current table suggests that there was only one reverse design.
 * 92.2.77.144 (talk) 18:10, 9 April 2017 (UTC)

 * Resolved.  sam 💬 20:46, 6 August 2017 (UTC)

Original date
The lead contains two different dates on which the coin allegedly was introduced, 9 February and 21 April 1983. Only one can be right, or if they represent different things (such as the first coin being struck and the coins entering circulation), this should be clarified. Stifle (talk) 15:02, 18 November 2016 (UTC)

 * Thanks for flagging that up. The Royal Mint state 21 April 1983 (and they should know!), so I have reworded the lead accordingly and added a reference. Cloudbound (talk) 22:09, 22 November 2016 (UTC)

New article?
Should we create a new article for the 12-sided coin once it enters circulation, or even split off the current round coins content into another, or just add to this article? I just think we could lose some of the details of the round pound, such as the composition in the infobox. Cloudbound (talk) 17:22, 5 March 2017 (UTC)

 * Why create a new article? The new coin is still a £1 coin so keep it here.  After all the design has changed so much over the years that another change is just another line in the list. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 17:41, 5 March 2017 (UTC)

 * Just thought I'd put it out there for discussion in advance. In terms of changes, it's a bit more of a change than just the reverse, but I agree with you. Cloudbound (talk) 17:51, 5 March 2017 (UTC)

Mismatched pictures for round coin 16/5/2017
Whilst the obverse/reverse pictures of the 2016 12-sided coin match (16/5/2017), the respective pictures of the round coin don't. To me, it looks odd to depict the 2016 round coin (circulating or not) with a non-matching reverse. The source for the 2016 round obverse does contain a suitable 2016 round reverse, is this something I could attempt to substitute for the current version? It would make a world of difference. Mongoosander (talk) 04:05, 16 May 2017 (UTC)

 * To be honest, we'll probably lose either the obverse or reverse image of the round pound once it leaves circulation, as both types are currently shown while they are available together. From October, we'll only really need one of the round pound images, similar to how we only show the reverse of the previous designs on the other coin articles. Then again, that's just my opinion. Feel free to give it a go though. Cloudbound (talk) 19:50, 16 May 2017 (UTC)

intro section needs to be revised
The third paragraph re-introduces the new coin which was already explained in the second paragraph. M.T.S.W.A. (talk) 19:04, 17 October 2017 (UTC)

 * Thanks - reworded :)  sam 💬 16:53, 19 October 2017 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified one external link on One pound (British coin). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://www.webcitation.org/5msOSgbfF?url=http://www.dofonline.co.uk/economy/royal-mint-unveils-new-uk-coins.html to http://www.dofonline.co.uk/economy/royal-mint-unveils-new-uk-coins.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 20:51, 22 December 2017 (UTC)

Auctions with bogus errors claimed
Ebay and Etsy have auctions and sales where listers claim the edge inscription is an upside down and therefore an error and makes the coin rare. It would be a service to our readers to point out this is nonsense. Not sure if an encyclopedia needs that level of detail. Pretty sure most people would say not. 2600:1700:BB00:3220:497D:3A1B:69DA:5B41 (talk) 02:37, 29 November 2020 (UTC) JMz

The pound Britain doesn't want
When the coin was introduced, it was initially very unpopular (I dare day that's true of many currency innovations - decimalisation took decades to catch on, as did the 100 times move in the decimal point in France). I remember the Daily Mail running a front page story called "The Pound Britain Doesn't Want". Might be worth a mention if somebody can be bothered.Paulturtle (talk) 21:37, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
 * Ah yes, the good old Daily Mail. Does anyone have one of these so we don't touch it properly? Martinevans123 (talk) 21:44, 7 April 2022 (UTC)
 * As per Wikipedia policy, the Daily Mail is deprecated. Sources should never come from it. doktorb wordsdeeds 17:49, 17 November 2023 (UTC)

Requested move 16 November 2023

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

The result of the move request was: Moved to One pound coin. (closed by non-admin page mover) Bensci54 (talk) 17:10, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

One pound (British coin) → Pound coin – Common name, primary topic, and to be consistent with Two pound coin. Sceptre (talk) 16:38, 16 November 2023 (UTC) — Relisting. BegbertBiggs (talk) 18:18, 24 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Move to One-pound coin per WP:NATURALDISAMBIGUATION. As well as WP:PRECISE and MOS:HYPHEN. Similar to Three-dollar piece. Two pound coin should also be moved to Two-pound coin. Rreagan007 (talk) 21:01, 16 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Support all these moves.--Ortizesp (talk) 05:27, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 *  Support  but MOS:£ is probably the better policy to cite. YorkshireExpat (talk) 16:45, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Support move as stated in nomination (discarding the redundant disambiguation). Oppose hyphenation per actual UK usage – try a google search with ""a one-pound coin" (or "a one pound coin", google ignores the hyphen for search purposes): I didn't go past the first page but there is not a hyphen in sight. Same result for ""a two-pound coin". --𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 18:01, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I sympathise, but the policy is pretty clear. YorkshireExpat (talk) 21:45, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 * In the US, feel free to say "don't take any three-dollar bills" but in the UK, the term is not hyphenated. Not quite WP:IAR but definitely a case for a local adjustment to site-wide policy. --𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 12:56, 18 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Oh, you've convinced me :D YorkshireExpat (talk) 13:53, 18 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Oppose In common usage, those diminishing number of people who still use cash say "one pound" or "quid". This feels like a move for the sake of it. Huw much disruption are you seeking to cause? doktorb wordsdeeds 22:13, 17 November 2023 (UTC)
 * The dab is ugly though. YorkshireExpat (talk) 11:17, 18 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I will change my !vote to oppose if it is the only way to avoid a horrible hyphen. --𝕁𝕄𝔽 (talk) 12:56, 18 November 2023 (UTC)

 * Support without hyphen per JMF. I've changed my mind :) YorkshireExpat (talk) 13:54, 18 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Move to One pound coin, consistent with Two pound coin, and the iconic One Pound Fish. Martinevans123 (talk) 18:38, 24 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Move to One pound coin per above.  Dank Jae  02:18, 26 November 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

title: Talk:One pound coin


text:
Talk:1991

Page layout years
There is a discussion on my talk page on page layout.

For most of the last three hundred years there is inconsistency and duplication between the year in topic paragraph, the "see also" box and what is on the year by topic pages. Prior to 1950 I am pretty convinced we can painlessly (except for sore fingers) delete all of the year in topic paragraphs and ensure that the material goes into a "see also" box, creating such a box where none exists. Post 1950, particularly from the "year in US television" link a lot of material has been added to this paragraph as highlights (sometimes making up most of the page content pointed at).

Personally I think we should still delete the paragraph, keep the box linking to the topic sites and move any particularly important parts of the year in topic paragraph to the main chronological list. This does involve undoing quite a bit of work which someone has done.

Therefore, unlike for prior to 1950 (where I've said no objection= I do it) for post 1950 I won't touch these pages unless a significant number of people agree with the change. (I am also unlikely to get the pre 1950 stuff done before summer unless the service speed improves dramatically). talk--BozMo 13:44, 7 May 2004 (UTC)

On April 14 you have the same event listed twice. You should delete one. But which one to keep? I added the first performance of smells like teen spirit and the release of nevermind by Nirvana HOD 09:59, 13 October 2005 (UTC)

Generation for the year

 * 1991 like a 1992 one. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.174.143.196 (talk) 01:21, 27 December 2020 (UTC)
 * Should we include the generation for the year, and if we should which generation was it? Generation Y or the internet generation? Mrmattkatt 20:48, 8 September 2006 (UTC) Note: Question is still not answered Mrmattkatt 02:15, 7 May 2007 (UTC)
 * No, because there's some disagreement on the boundaries between them & it's not important enough. Jim Michael (talk) 17:01, 30 December 2021 (UTC)

Mining accident
Jan 9 and Jun 9 seem to have the same event. Robin Patterson 06:18, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

Electric Company
This was a recently added event for April 15, a TV show ended, I've added a wikilink but I'm not sure if it's notable enough to keep. Any thoughts? It has its own wikipedia article, but that doesn't always make it notable. JoeyETS 01:35, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

Table of contents
I'm kinda new here but shouldn't the TOC be at the top. I don't really know how to fix it --Fukhed666 00:39, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

Closest palindromic years?
Are 1991 and 2002 really the closest palindromic years? What about, for example, years 2 and 3? Or years 22 and 33?  Jamie | C 14:11, 17 November 2007 (UTC)
 * You are correct; I just came to the talk for this article just to mention that (999 and 1000 make good close examples as well). Eouw0o83hf 13:16, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

1000 is not a palindromic year, surely! I think you mean 1001? I'm assuming palindromic years would have to be at least 3 digits. So the first year would be 101, then 111, 121, 131, 141, 151, 161, 171, 181, 191, 202, 303, 404, 505, 606, 707, 808, 909, 1001, etc. MightyArms (talk) 04:41, 15 June 2020 (UTC)

Superbowl
Should the Superbowl be included for this year? Centralized discussion at WT:YEARS — Arthur Rubin (talk) 17:08, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

Deaths
Shouldn't there be a separate page for the deaths, so like "Deaths in 1991"?--Mjs1991 (talk) 11:19, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

 * yeah 11 years after this comment, I click on Deaths in 1991 and it goes nowehere. 2603:7080:5706:59A:91D5:5A81:E850:F3F (talk) 13:08, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
 * That's because there was no one here in 1991 to record recent deaths... Deb (talk) 13:24, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Oleg Babak
I don't see how he has sufficient notability for a Wikipedia article. — Arthur Rubin (talk) 18:38, 14 February 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 10:06, 1 April 2019 (UTC)
 * 2 minutes with Emily Ratajkowski (2).jpg

Eclipses
See WT:YEARS for a matter relevant to this page. Arthur Rubin (alternate) (talk) 23:09, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

More problematic people

 * June 3 – Andy Milligan, American screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker (b. 1929)
 * June 4 – MC Trouble, American rapper (b. 1970)
 * June 8
 * Mary Bacon, American jockey (b. 1948)
 * Bertice Reading, American singer and actress (b. 1933)

I don't really see international significance for any of them.
 * Andy Milligan is listed as a screenwriter for a number of films, but I'm not convinced he's the screenwriter, nor that the films are notable.
 * MC Trouble may be the first female rapper who charted (in US charts), but I'm not convinced that's internationally significant.

— Arthur Rubin (talk) 08:47, 8 January 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:21, 29 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Jiang Qing 1976.jpg

Event considerations
, I've taken a long time to notice this but I'm adding my views in bold below. Deb (talk) 12:32, 10 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks Deb! :) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "The All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers is founded in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India." be added or left off? Should "Harald V of Norway becomes the king of Norway after the death of his father, Olav V." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "The Party of the Alliance of Youth, Workers and Farmers of Angola is founded in Luanda, Angola." be added or left off? Should "The television station SCTV started nationwide broadcasts in Indonesia from Jakarta." be added or left off? Should "A Michigan court bars Dr. Jack Kevorkian from assisting in suicides." be added or left off? Should "The ballistic missile submarine USS Sam Houston is deactivated." be added or left off? Should "A video captures the beating of motorist Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. Four Los Angeles police officers are indicted on March 15 for the beating." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page and I actually now understand why this is more important than I originally thought it was) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "After 16 years in prison for allegedly bombing a public house in a Provisional IRA attack, the "Birmingham Six" are freed when a court determines that the police fabricated evidence." be added or left off?
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "President of Poland Lech Wałęsa becomes the first Polish president to visit the U.S." be added or left off? Should "The Warsaw Stock Exchange opens in Poland." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "Prime Minister of Iceland Steingrímur Hermannsson resigns following an inconclusive parliamentary election on April 20. On April 30, he is succeeded by Davíð Oddsson." be added or left off?
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "The Surinamese general election is won by the military-backed New Front for Democracy and Development." be added or left off?
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "In Israel, a judge investigating a 1990 incident outside a mosque in Jerusalem in which at least 17 Palestinians were killed rules that Israeli police provoked the incident." be added or left off? Should "Ukrainian pole vaulter Sergey Bubka breaks the world record for men's pole vault." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * I'm not entirely sure if this particular record is that notable. I'm definitely open to reconsidering but why do you think it's notable? Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)
 * I'm coming round to your point of view now I know how many times Bubka actually broke the world record - four times in 1991 alone! Deb (talk) 18:18, 31 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "June Rowlands is elected as the first female Mayor of Toronto, Canada." be added or left off? Should "The US Senate confirms Robert Gates as the head of the CIA." be added or left off? Should "Carl Bildt succeeds Ingvar Carlsson to become the next Prime Minister of Sweden." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * (Will re-add to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "Nexhmije Hoxha, widow of the former socialist leader of Albania, is arrested for embezzlement." be added or left off? Should "A referendum on the constitution of Romania is accepted as valid." be added or left off? Should "French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio discovers the wreckage of the Spanish Galleon San Diego off the coast of Fortune Island (Philippines)." be added or left off? Should "The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleged that Thomas sexually harassed her." be added or left off? Should "The body of publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell is found floating in the Atlantic Ocean near the Canary Islands." be added or left off? Should "Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career." be added or left off? Should "President of Turkey Turgut Özal appoints Mesut Yılmaz as Prime Minister of Turkey, replacing Yıldırım Akbulut, who had resigned. Later on June 23, Mesut Yılmaz forms the 48th government of Turkey, which lasts until November 18 when it is replaced by a new government led by Süleyman Demirel." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * (Will re-add a revised, shorter version to the page) Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "The International Olympic Committee awards Nagano, Japan, the right to host the 1998 Winter Olympics." be added or left off? Should "George Hennard kills 23 people in Killeen, Texas, before killing himself." be added or left off?
 * Exclude
 * Include
 * I kind of get why this might be notable but why do you think it's notable? Is the death toll high enough to be considered notable? Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Should "In Sydney, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots seven people and injures six others before killing himself." be added or left off?
 * Include
 * I still don't think this is notable enough for the page. Unless some very well-known people were among the killed or wounded, seven deaths is much too low for notability. Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)
 * Hmm, sometimes a small number of deaths can make a big impact depending on context. - for example, Australia in general has fewer spree killings for a number of reasons.

Should "Salvadoran Civil War: Salvadoran rebels shoot down a U.S. Army helicopter and kill its surviving crew." be added or left off?
 * Include
 * I'm leaning towards putting it back on the page but how does this relate to other events in the Salvadoran Civil War? Is this unique or special relative to other events in that war? Dan the Animator 01:44, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

Most of these don't seem especially notable or relevant. Would like to get other opinions on these though. Dantheanimator (talk) 02:05, 29 July 2020 (UTC)
 * , I've reverted these additions, as you didn't furnish a reliable secondary source for them, as is required by our verifiability policy. Elizium23 (talk) 18:12, 31 May 2021 (UTC)
 * I re-added the events with sources. Do you have any objections or suggestions to the re-addition? I also personally don't think myself much of a furnisher—maybe a cobbler of bad soles? Dan the Animator 18:19, 12 June 2021 (UTC)
 * They look fine to me, except Harald V of Norway still lacks a source? Elizium23 (talk) 18:43, 12 June 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks Elizium23! :) I added in a Britannica source. Dan the Animator 19:30, 12 June 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 22:14, 22 January 2021 (UTC)
 * Kelsey Chow, 2011 (cropped).jpg

Wandy Peralta
Regarding this revert of my edit, please could someone tell me where it specifies that people have to be "internationally notable" (not just Wikipedia notable) to have their birth added here. Once I am aware of the criteria, it will prevent me from adding inappropriate entries in future. --Jameboy (talk) 17:43, 9 April 2021 (UTC)
 * See many discussions above. Did you think that the year article was meant to include everyone born in that year who has a Wikipedia article? Deb (talk) 17:58, 9 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Yes, that was my expectation. WikiProject Years, which I assume is the relevant guideline(?), states "The Births section lists notable births in that year, divided into month sections. Each entry links to the day page, has a very short description of the person, and links to the death year if known." It doesn't mention anything about international notability or what that entails. --Jameboy (talk) 20:05, 10 April 2021 (UTC)
 * When you think about it, though, that would mean that the article would include everything that now appears in both Category:1991 births and Category:1991 deaths as well as every event that is listed in every individual month article for 1991. Such an article would not be navigable. Unfortunately we have never been able to agree a set of written criteria for inclusion. Wandy Peralta appears to be a pretty minor figure in the context of the 200+ baseball players listed in 1991 in baseball as having been born that year. Deb (talk) 08:43, 11 April 2021 (UTC)
 * , I'd just add that there is plenty of work to be done on these articles if you want to contribute. For a start, entries in the day and year articles are now supposed to be accompanied by citations (same is true for Year in baseball articles), and most of the existing ones aren't. It's going to take forever to do this, so the more people who work on it, the better. Deb (talk) 10:08, 11 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Fair. I'll look at adding some citations when I get a chance. I'll give more thought to the question of notability but I won't add any new people for now. --Jameboy (talk) 21:55, 13 April 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 04:31, 20 September 2021 (UTC)
 * Kelsey Chow, 2011 (cropped).jpg

Semi-protected edit request
Under births, for April, for April 5, please add Moroccan football player Yassine Bounou. https://fbref.com/en/players/f6798fc3/Yassine-Bounou 208.127.190.114 (talk) 22:04, 27 September 2022 (UTC)
 * ✅ Thank you very much! —CX Zoom[he/him] (let's talk • {C•X}) 14:49, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

Collage thoughts
Please let me know if anyone has any disagreements on the images included in the collage, and I will put it up for vote. Thanks The ganymedian (talk) 22:42, 8 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Please fix the collage so that the images aren't all distorted by being squashed into a square. If you can't do better, find images that are all the same size. Deb (talk) 08:41, 2 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I'm commenting this out because you haven't put the content up for discussion. We don't need two separate pictures for the end of the Soviet Union. The Oceanos incident is not very well known, and there were no casualties. Deb (talk) 08:47, 2 November 2022 (UTC)
 * You replaced the collage claiming you had "fixed" it. What changes did you make? Deb (talk) 10:46, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Per your message on November 2, I fixed the images that looked distorted and replaced the pictures regarding the Soviet Union and Océanos. The ganymedian (talk) 16:07, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Do you see any other photo problems that you wished to be fixed @Deb ? The ganymedian (talk) 19:34, 26 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Where did you discuss the content? Deb (talk) 09:50, 27 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I have a few ideas.
 * We can replace the first image of Boris Yeltsin waving the flag with an image of the Croatian War of Independence.
 * We can also replace the Oceanos disaster with the Moby Prince disaster in Italy, with 140 deaths. DementiaGaming (talk) 23:58, 15 July 2023 (UTC)
 * 1991 Events Collage 3.0.jpg Here's the collage, well, i just merged Soviet attempted coup d'etat and dissolution of Soviet Union into one, also i added the Moby Prince one The0Quester (talk) 16:10, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Lookin' good. DementiaGaming (talk) 16:31, 22 July 2023 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request
Under births, for February 17, please add Jeremy Allen White. https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2020/02/17/Famous-birthdays-for-Feb-17-Jason-Ritter-Michael-Jordan/8571581877360/ 2600:100C:A210:2BB2:6D5E:BC16:1E93:ED5E (talk) 21:32, 1 December 2022 (UTC)
 * ✅  TG HL ↗  🍁 06:44, 2 December 2022 (UTC)

title: Talk:1991


text:
Talk:1989

Page layout years
There is a discussion on my talk page on page layout.

For most of the last three hundred years there is inconsistency and duplication between the year in topic paragraph, the "see also" box and what is on the year by topic pages. Prior to 1950 I am pretty convinced we can painlessly (except for sore fingers) delete all of the year in topic paragraphs and ensure that the material goes into a "see also" box, creating such a box where none exists. Post 1950, particularly from the "year in US television" link a lot of material has been added to this paragraph as highlights (sometimes making up most of the page content pointed at).

Personally I think we should still delete the paragraph, keep the box linking to the topic sites and move any particularly important parts of the year in topic paragraph to the main chronological list. This does involve undoing quite a bit of work which someone has done.

Therefore, unlike for prior to 1950 (where I've said no objection= I do it) for post 1950 I won't touch these pages unless a significant number of people agree with the change. (I am also unlikely to get the pre 1950 stuff done before summer unless the service speed improves dramatically). talk--BozMo 13:46, 7 May 2004 (UTC)

Year of the Snake
can someone mention that this was in fact the year of the snake?? it would seem appropriate
 * No, because it's far too trivial. Jim Michael (talk) 00:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC)

Most reverted?
I seriously think 1989 qualifies for the most reverted page on Wikipedia. 1/2 the edits are reverts practically. and it's call cause silly people wanna get their name on Wikipedia. It's sorta funny. Stormscape 08:44, 29 April 2006 (UTC)
 * I fixed that problem. I asked to have the page protected from future vandalism. You won't have to deal with reverts anymore. Bkissin 03:48, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Link update
Events -> Unknown date -> Retirement of the Alize aircraft: Alize should link to Breguet Alizé

-The link stating that in January James Watkins was appointed Secretary of energy should be redirected to "James D. Watkins." Wikipedia's entry for "James Watkins" is a different person.

Why protect this page?
What's the point of protecting this page?Ndp2005goh 14:31, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Because, as soon as we unprotect the page, 70,000 idiotic kids born in 1989 will post their names in the births section. After countless reverts, (Which were basically the only edits on this page) it was finally decided to protect it from further vandalization. Bkissin 21:38, 26 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Point of interest--adding the sprotect tag doesn't actually protect the page. --Fang Aili talk 03:50, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
 * Then what tag should we use? Bkissin 15:17, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
 * How about not protecting? If persistent vandalism continues, it can be protected again. But protection in general goes against the spirit of 'anyone can edit'. If it needs re-protection, let me know. --Fang Aili talk 18:54, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Another summer
In a public enemy song there was a lyric, "1989 the number another summer (get down) sound of the funky drummer" I also request for permission to post lyrics that relates to the year. Does a sysop object? Vladimir Stalin 10:18AM EST 4.1.07

 * Nowhere near important enough for an international year article on an encyclopedia. Qzm (talk) 23:58, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Filippo Inzaghi
I'm not sure whether this article is correct or not... I'm pretty sure Filippo Inzaghi didn't die in 1989! Deleted that bit anyway, but not going to check anything else user:Sevenplusone 02:07, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Calvin Goldspink
Was not born on 24th February 1989, he was born on 24th JANUARY 1989. Please correct this. 82.12.250.153 15:49, 28 July 2007 (UTC)

Cold War, ongoing?
Under the ongoing section it lists the Cold War. Unless I'm mistaken most people believe that the Cold War ended with the fall of the USSR. The tensions between USA and USSR that made up the Cold War no longer exist Superstarwarsfan (talk) 23:48, 2 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The Cold War was ongoing in 1989. The tensions let up around 1991.  This article is about the year 1989, so the Cold War was ongoing. Jons63 (talk) 00:12, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Doesn't ongoing mean that it's still going on today? Superstarwarsfan (talk) 01:53, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
 * No, this article is about what was going on in 1989. that statement means that it was ongoing at the end of 1989.  Look at 1988 it says the same thing.  It should say the same thing for every year since the early 1950s.  Jons63 (talk) 01:57, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Well then never mind. But in my defense that is a little confusing. Superstarwarsfan (talk) 02:12, 3 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Superstarwarsfan: When you read this article, imagine that 1989 is right now, and "ongoing" makes a little more sense. Though I admit this has potential for confusion, if you read the article and mind the timeframe, it should sound proper. For example, if something was "ongoing" back in 1984 and is written that way, the context (I think) is logical as long as somewhere it is mentioned that "now" is 1984 (in this case, the article title eponymously implies that we are looking at this as if it were happening right now.) I hope my comments made sense and lessened the confusion instead of making it worse. 98.202.38.225 (talk) 05:29, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

The Stone Roses
I'd like to add the date that the Stone Roses released their first album. Whether it's to your taste or not, it is regularly in the top five of 'greatest album ever/in the world/etc' polls in the UK, so it can be argued that it is quite significant.

Will the page remain locked for some time?
 * It's already listed on 1989 in music, where events related to music are recorded. --TM 13:31, 22 April 2008 (UTC)

 * Ok, thank you for pointing that out! (80.193.99.43 (talk) 14:06, 22 April 2008 (UTC))

United Airlines Flight 811
" ...rips open during flight, sucking 9 passengers and crew out of the first class section."

In cases of explosive decompression, high pressure environments tend to expel their contents. They transition from high pressure states to low pressure states. In an aircraft, this means they are blown out into the atmosphere, not sucked. (121.45.44.161 (talk) 12:51, 3 August 2008 (UTC))

The Web
The original proposal for the World Wide Web was made and distributed in March 1989, may be worth a mention. -137.222.114.243 (talk) 19:21, 14 March 2009 (UTC)

 * There is a reference for this in http://www.w3.org/People/all#timbl, but alas, no clear date is mentioned. But I support the argument that the greatest invention ever must be mentioned here in this page. WarFox  ( talk  |  contribs) 07:57, 4 July 2011 (UTC)

1989 English football season climax
The famous match between Liverpool and Arsenal has been removed from so I'm posting here to gain a consensus on its inclusion. Given that the match is the most famous climax to an English football season (the most popular domestic sports competition on the planet) I think it would meet notability criteria easily. in facts its arguably the most dramatic climax to any league competition. For those unaware - the final match of the centenary season was between the two title contenders (itself very unusual), and Arsenal were playing away and had to win by two goals (something most people though was impossible). The crucial goal was scored in the very last minute of the match and it meant the title was won at the last possible minute and by the tightest ever margin (both teams had exactly the same number of points AND the same goal difference). The game inspired a best selling novel and the movie "Fever Pitch". Far less significant sporting events are included in this article, and surely if any 1989 sporting event meets notability criteria then this is the one?--Shakehandsman (talk) 19:38, 11 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Definitely not - main year articles are for important international events. Jim Michael (talk) 00:44, 15 November 2021 (UTC)

1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre
Maybe there should be a picture or something? It seems like the massacre was one of the more influential things of the year. --99.48.48.133 (talk) 04:47, 18 May 2011 (UTC)
 * Did anyone other than Hu Yaobang die in relation to that matter? It's not entirely clear from the page AFAICS  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.225.107.155 (talk) 19:59, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Vladimir Horowitz
I discovered that, unfortunately, there was no picture for one of the greatest pianists of all time. He is no less famous than Bette Davis or Franz Joseph II. I would add Horowitz's picture but I don't have enough skills to do that and I don't want to screw up the page... — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.25.151.68 (talk) 18:43, 11 September 2011 (UTC)

Bill Kaulitz?
Now, I'm not objecting to his birthday being included, I'd say it's warranted, but shouldn't Tom Kaulitz be mentioned as well? Bill is not the only member of Tokio Hotel. 99.239.176.33 (talk) 04:34, 23 September 2011 (UTC)

Superbowl
Should the Superbowl be included for this year? Centralized discussion at WT:YEARS — Arthur Rubin (talk) 17:09, 7 June 2012 (UTC)

1989 (Taylor Swift album)
I'm thinking of adding a hatnote on this page for 1989 (Taylor Swift album) seeing as it has more than 7 times the number of views than this page and the disambiguation page combined. Any opinions or objections? Zarcadia (talk) 17:53, 22 May 2015 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The file on Wikimedia Commons has been nominated for deletion. View and participate in the deletion discussion at the. Community Tech bot (talk) 23:05, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. Community Tech bot (talk) 21:36, 12 July 2018 (UTC)
 * Nina Dobrev at The Promise Premiere in April 2017 01.png

Revert of IP edits
Why the revert? Those edits don't appear to be vandalism to me. Indeed, you restored some errors that the IP had corrected. -- irn (talk) 21:21, 15 September 2018 (UTC)

 * I don’t know, but I’ve been dealing with those kinds of IPs for two years and it’s still getting on my nerves. I know I haven’t editing on Wikipedia that much but sometimes enough is enough. Gar (talk) 02:54, 16 September 2018 (UTC)
 * When you say "those kinds of IPs", what are you referring to? I noticed that two of your recent edit summaries mention improper use of fair use images. Is that the issue? -- irn (talk) 17:56, 16 September 2018 (UTC)

Eclipses
See WT:YEARS for a matter relevant to this page. Arthur Rubin (alternate) (talk) 23:10, 26 June 2019 (UTC)

When did the Romanian Revolution start?
December 17 (en.wiki: Retrieved: 2019.12.15) The Romanian Revolution begins in Timișoara when rioters break into the building housing the District Committee of the Romanian Communist Party and cause extensive damage. Their attempts to set the buildings on fire are foiled by military units.

No, not at all. In hungarian: --Elekes Andor (talk) 10:45, 15 December 2019 (UTC)
 * december 15. –  In the evening hungarians and romanians together defend pastor László Tőkés  with a girotondo from the terror mashine of  Ceaușescu.
 * december 15. – Este magyarok és románok élőláncot alkotva védik Tőkés László református lelkészt. Ezzel kirobban a román forradalom, mely 20-ra elsöpri a Ceaușescu rendszert.

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 21:37, 29 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Imogen Poots.jpg

3.7 thousand should be changed to 3,700?
In my opinion, '3.7 thousand' should be changed to 3,700 as 3.7 thousand doesn't sound right. Xboxsponge15 (talk) 17:13, 13 February 2021 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 01:09, 26 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Sergio Leone.jpg

Collage thoughts
Please let me know if anyone has any disagreements on the images included in the collage, and I will put it up for vote. Thanks The ganymedian (talk) 22:42, 8 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Please revise this so that the images are in correct proportion, i.e. not squashed either vertically or horizontally, and remove domestic events. Deb (talk) 14:54, 25 October 2022 (UTC)

Move discussion in progress
There is a move discussion in progress on Talk:1989 (disambiguation) which affects this page. Please participate on that page and not in this talk page section. Thank you. —RMCD bot 15:37, 6 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:1989