Template talk:Did you know

This page is for nominations to appear in the "Did you know" section on the Main Page. To discuss Did You Know please use Wikipedia talk:Did you know.

SKIP TO NOMINATIONS

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Instructions

Did you know? (DYK) entries are interesting facts that many people may not know. On this page possible entries are listed and members of the DYK project assess the nominations for the DYK section. DYKs are listed on the Main Page.

How to enter a DYK

List articles on this page under the Nominations area, below. The newest nominations go at the top. If you would like to make a nomination, you should read the rules below.

If there is a picture that you would like to see used with your nomination, please add it with your nomination as shown below. Any user may nominate a DYK suggestion.

Rules

• Only one article can be nominated for a Did You Know hook.
  • This does not mean there can only be one link in the hook. It means the hook is to feature one article.
  • This main article is the link which is in bold. This article must meet the DYK rules.
  • Any other links in the hook are minor links.
• Information presented in any article nominated for DYK should be verifiable and unbiased. There must be a citation of a credible source to support the fact contained in the hook.
  • Articles that are tagged for bias with {{NPOV}} or for lack of accuracy with {{Disputed}} are not suitable for DYK.
  • Articles where facts are questioned with {{fact}} tags may not be suitable.
• The article linked should be easy to read.
  • The article should not be tagged as {{complex}}.
  • It should comply with the guideline on writing Simple English articles.
  • If possible, readability tests, such as this, should indicate a U.S. grade level of no greater than Grade 8 on (most) scores.
  • There should be no red linked categories or red linked templates.
• Articles nominated for DYK should not be too short.
  • Three-sentence stubs are not suitable.
  • The text of the article must be at least 800 characters. The number of characters can be measured with this tool.
• The hook used to encourage people to read the article should be interesting to read. Information mentioned in the hook should be in the article text (not in a footnote, or in a linked reference, or in an infobox).
  • Whether a hook is not interesting should not be a matter for only one reviewer to decide. The first reviewer marks as {{DYKalmost}} if they feel the hook is not sufficiently interesting, with wording like "Is there a more interesting hook?". If 2 assessors (including the initial one) agree that the hook is uninteresting and no alternative has been put forward, the nomination is rejected with {{DYKno}} and advice to the nominator that "2 reviewers feel that this hook is not interesting, please suggest an alternative hook."
  • Articles may be re-nominated, but a different hook must be chosen. Also, two different hooks of the same article should not be added to the same update or updates that follow each other.
• DYKs should not be very good articles (VGA) already as VGAs already get their own spotlight on the Main Page as the "Selected article".

Proposed facts should	Suggested facts (also known as hooks) should be	Suggested pictures should be
Have in-line citations	Interesting	From Wikimedia Commons
Articles on living people must be carefully checked to make sure that no unsourced negative information is in the article	Short (less than about 200 characters, including spaces)	Small (100x100px)
Articles with good references and citations are needed.	Neutral	Already in the article

• Editors may only nominate up to four hooks at any one time. If more nominations are desired, existing nominations must either be removed, promoted to one of the DYK queues or placed in the holding area.
• Hooks cannot be moved to a queue or removed from the nominations page until they have been there for a minimum of three days from the date they were originally posted. The only exception to this are hooks that can be "snowed". Hooks can also be removed if there has been no input from the nominator after five days from the last review. Unreviewed hooks however cannot be removed until there has been a review.

Chart

Please use one of the following templates when reviewing nominations.

Symbol	Code	Ready for DYK?	Description
	{{DYKyes}}	Yes	No problems, ready for DYK
	{{DYKagf}}	Yes, WP:AGF	Hook cited to a source not on the Internet, but to a reliable publication.
	{{DYKfixed}}	Yes, issue fixed.	The issue preventing DYK, or the request for improvement has now been fixed.
	{{DYKalmost}}	Almost	Article is on the way to being ready for DYK, but the reviewer has questions.
	{{DYKno}}	No	Article is unable to be used on DYK, the time limit has passed, or there are larger reservations.

Nominations

Please add new nominations below with newer nominations at the top. Nominations should be headed with a ===Level Three=== header containing a link to the article that the hook is from. If possible, all hooks should contain a relevant file from Wikimedia Commons – this can be a picture or a sound. The subject article should be '''bolded'''.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

• ... that at aged 77, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is the oldest person to become President of Brazil? --TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 22:41, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

  I don't find that very interesting, but others might disagree. Kk.urban (talk) 22:50, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Istanbul

• ... that Istanbul is the only city in the world that is on two different continents: Europe and Asia?

Ayesha46 (talk) 05:43, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

, Interesting hook, however while in the article is says it lies on two continents, the Wiki article doesn't say "only city in the world". Perhaps add that to the article. TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 06:54, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

added, now check..? Ayesha46 (talk) 09:24, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 18:46, 4 December 2023 (UTC)

@QuicoleJR: You really think adding "those continents being" makes it simpler? I thought the colon was simpler. Also, what about the satellite image that shows it's on both Europe and Asia? Kk.urban (talk) 17:41, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Reverted. Also, the satellite image might work, but I do not think we need an image for every hook. QuicoleJR (talk) 17:54, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

OK, I removed the satellite image. Kk.urban (talk) 17:56, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

I mean... you removed it. (Edit conflict) Kk.urban (talk) 17:57, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Ada Dietz

• that Ada Dietz (pictured) used mathematics to invent weaving patterns? --Eptalon (talk) 16:42, 3 December 2023 (UTC)

Hook and article look good. TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 22:39, 6 December 2023 (UTC)

Giorgio Napolitano

• ... that Giorgio Napolitano was the first President of Italy to have been re-elected? --TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 22:20, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

The Backrooms

• ... that the urban legend The Backrooms is believed to have created the internet's aesthetic of liminal spaces, which shows usually busy areas as unnaturally empty? --TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 22:20, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

Rosalynn Carter

• ... that Rosalynn Carter (pictured) was the first First Lady of the United States to have her own office and staff at the White House? --TDKR Chicago 101 (talk) 19:36, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

Holding area

Hooks that are ready to be moved to a queue for update may be held in this area until a space in a queue becomes available. To be eligible to move into this area, a hook must meet all of the promotion guidelines as outlined above. Hooks in this area do not count towards a user's nomination limit. If you change or re-review a hook in this area, it must be moved back to the main nominations section for discussion to continue. The only changes permitted here are formatting or spelling changes, or adding an associated file.

Bedford level experiment

• ...that because of an experiment that showed the earth was flat, John Hampden was sent to prison?

Anglo-Zanzibar War

• ... that the Anglo-Zanzibar War fought between Britain and Zanzibar in 1986 lasted only 38 minutes, making it the shortest recorded war?

Tunguska event

• ...that the effects of the Tunguska event could be measured as far away as Europe, Jakarta, or Washington D.C.?

Killing of Harambe

• ... that after the Killing of Harambe, the Western lowland gorilla had 5% support in a public poll for the 2016 U.S. presidential election?

Gaza Strip

• ...that the Gaza Strip has one of the youngest populations in the world as 43% of the people are age 14 or younger?

Sand dollar

• ... that certain species of sand dollar (pictured) clone themselves to better escape some predators?

Sausage

• ... that the French word for sausage comes from Vulgar Latin salsica, which comes from salsicus meaning seasoned with salt?

New York City

• ... that the movie industry made nearly $9 billion to the New York City economy as of 2015?

Nauru

• ... that the main economic activity on Nauru since 1907 has been the export of phosphate mined from the island?

Earth

• ... that the first life on Earth appeared 3.6 billion years ago in the Archaean era?

Now and Then (Beatles song)

• ... that "Now and Then" has been called the "last Beatles song" since it has new and old recordings from the band members and even uses AI for John Lennon's voice?

Leonor, Princess of Asturias

• ... that if Leonor, Princess of Asturias becomes the Queen of Spain, she will be Spain's first queen regnant since her 4th great-grandmother Isabella II?

Jack Swigert

• ... that in 1982, Jack Swigert, one of 24 astronauts who flew to the Moon, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives but died before taking office?

Alexander Van der Bellen

• ... that President of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen is the son of aristocratic refugees from Russia's Bolshevik Revolution?

Javier Milei

Javier Milei in VIVA22.

• ... that when Javier Milei (pictured) was elected President of Argentina in 2023, he became the first libertarian head of state in the world?

Taung Child

• ...that for a long time, no one saw the importance of the Taung Child, because of the Piltdown Man discovered about 12 years earlier?

Sidney Poitier

• ... that Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier was the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan from 1997 until 2007?

Pubic hair

• ... that four out of five women, and about half of the men in the United States trim or remove their pubic hair?

Harold Macmillan

• ... that Harold Macmillan was the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to be granted hereditary peerage?

Hostile architecture

• ...that Robert Moses designed an access road to a beach on Long Island with bridges that were too low for buses to pass, so that only those who could afford a car would visit that beach?

Free-produce movement

• ...that in the mid-19th century, the goods made without slave labor often were difficult to find, had a poorer quality and were more expensive, than those made by slaves?

Emma Corrin

• ... that in 2022, actor Emma Corrin (pictured) became Vogue magazine's first non-binary cover star?

Clint Eastwood

• ... that when Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California in the 1980s, he made eating ice cream on the city streets legal?

Richard Roundtree

• ... that because of Richard Roundtree's (pictured) role as John Shaft, many believe it lead to the rise of African American leading actors in Hollywood movies?

Dominica

• ... that Dominica is home to Boiling Lake, the world's second-largest hot spring?

Mosquito

• ... that by causing over 700,000 deaths per year, mosquitoes (pictured) may be the deadliest threat to humans?

Rabies

• ...that only one person world-wide has survived rabies without vaccine treatment?

Tea

Lipton-mug-tea

• ...that tea (pictured) is the second most consumed drink in the world, after water?

Wayne Gretzky

• .. that Wayne Gretzky was called "the greatest ice hockey player of all time" by an official encyclopedia of the NHL?

Matthew Perry (actor)

• ... that actor Matthew Perry made his former mansion in Malibu, California into a rehab center and was given an award from the White House because of it?

Mel Carnahan

• ... that in 2000, Mel Carnahan was elected to the U.S. Senate less than one month after he was killed in a plane crash?

McRib

• ... that the McRib (pictured) from McDonalds was originally introduced in 1981, and it has been retired and reintroduced many times over the years?

Plastics

• ... that some new plastics are being made without oil, such as with plants and bacteria, to make them biodegradable?

Pluto

• ...that the name of former planet Pluto was suggested by a 11 year old schoolgirl named Venetia Burney?

Self-injury

• ... that in the age group of those 15 to 24 years old, about twice as many women hurt themselves than men?

Rain

• ... that it not safe to drink rainwater as it could have bacteria, viruses or chemicals in it?

Olivier Messiaen

• ...that Olivier Messiaen wrote a piece completely inspired by birdsong?

Lavinia Valbonesi

• ... that First Lady of Ecuador Lavinia Valbonesi is a nutritionist who owns a healthy dining location in Guayaquil and a fitness center in Tampa, Florida?

Irina Karamanos

• ... that when feminist Irina Karamanos's domestic partner Gabriel Boric was elected President of Chile, they were both against her becoming first lady?

Cannabis

• ... that Canada has become the first G7 nation to make cannabis legal?

Brendan Fraser

• ... that Brendan Fraser is the first Canadian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor?

Chicago

• ... that Jean Baptiste Point du Sable founded Chicago in the early 1700s to create a canal for boats to travel between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River?

Venus

• ...that a day on the planet Venus (pictured) is longer than its year?

Canada

• ... that 60% of Canadians live south of Seattle, Washington?

Honey

• ... that archaeologists have found pots of honey in ancient Egyptian tombs that are over 3,000 years old and still edible, meaning honey never spoils?

Moses

• ... that Moses is seen as an important prophet in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Bahá'í Faith and Rastafari?

Milky Way

... that the Andromeda Galaxy is moving towards the Milky Way Galaxy (pictured) and will collide with it in about 3.75 billion years?

The Road to Serfdom

• ...that The Road to Serfdom , an influential book by economist Friedrich August von Hayek, was also published as a picture book?

New York City

• ... that New York City has the biggest foreign-born population of any city in the world as of 2016?

Chicago Spire

• ... that the cancelled Chicago Spire (pictured) project would have been 2,000 feet tall and the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere?

Narges Mohammadi

• ...that Narges Mohammadi, (pictured) who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was excluded from a mountain climbing group at university because of her political activities?

Daniel Noboa

• ... that at age 35, Daniel Noboa is the youngest person elected as President of Ecuador?

Kevin McCarthy

• ... that Kevin McCarthy is the first Speaker of the United States House of Representatives to be removed during a legislative session?

Panama

• ... that in 2022, lawmakers from Panama passed a bill that allowed citizens to pay their taxes using cryptocurrency?

Golden Gate Bridge

• ... that over 1700 people have committed suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge (pictured)?

Bacteria

• ... that there are about as many bacterial cells as human cells in each of our bodies?

September 11 attacks

• ... that the United States government paid an average of $1.8 million each to the families of the victims of the September 11 attacks?

Paul Revere

• ... that Paul Revere founded a company in 1801, called Revere Copper Company, that is still in operation today?

Plant

• ... that there are currently around 391,000 known living species of plants in the world?

Photosynthesis

• ... that when a plant does photosynthesis it releases the oxygen that we breathe?

Chlorophyll

• ... that the amount of chlorophyll (pictured) in a leaf can be measured with a handheld meter?

Slavery

• ...that in 1809, a slave cost about 40,000 USD, in today's money, but in the 21st century, getting a slave costs as little as USD 90-100?

Japanese spider crab

• ... that the Japanese spider crab (pictured) can grow to be almost 4 metres in width?

Condom

• ..that before they were used as a contraceptive, condoms were used to protect against disease?

Pidgin

• ...that the word pidgin comes from Chinese language business and is unrelated to the English word pigeon?

Denmark

• ... that in 2006 and 2007, surveys ranked Denmark (flag pictured) as "the happiest place in the world," based on standards of health, welfare, and education?

Teenage pregnancy

• ..that according to the WHO, girls 15 to 19 years old are about twice as likely to die after pregnancy than those 20 to 24 years old?

Yoshi's Cookie

• ...that Panasonic released a special version of Yoshi's Cookie that teaches players how to make the cookies in the game?

Yaroslav Hunka

• ... that in 2023, members of the House of Commons of Canada unknowingly gave a standing ovation to Yaroslav Hunka, a Waffen-SS veteran?

Wikipedia

• ... that after having just 1 language on January 10, 2001, Wikipedia was available in 161 languages less than 4 years later?

Luther Brannon House

• ... that the Luther Brannon House (pictured) was removed from the National Register of Historic Places in 2021, a few months after it was demolished?

Tuvalu

• ...that in 2022, Tuvalu announced that they would become the first country to make a replica of themself in the metaverse?

Among Us

• ... that the social deduction game Among Us is inspired by the party game Mafia and the 1982 science fiction horror movie The Thing?

Markiplier

• ... that when YouTuber Markiplier created an OnlyFans account for charity, the site crashed because of the large amount of people visiting the website?

Kiribati

• ... that in 2012, due to rising sea levels, the government of Kiribati bought land on Fiji so the people could move there if needed?

Wildflowers (Tom Petty song)

• ... that Tom Petty said it took him three and a half minutes to write his song "Wildflowers" and only performed it once while writing it?

Child marriage

• ...that the UNICEF photo of the year 2007 showed a 40-year-old Afghan man with his 11-year-old bride?

Potato

• ... that when Spanish conquistadores came to South America in the 1500s they took potatoes (pictured) back to Europe?

Otavalo

• ... that the Ecuadorian city of Otavalo has an outdoor market (pictured) that dates back to the 1870s and is one of the largest in South America?

The Star-Spangled Banner

• ... that The Star-Spangled Banner has four stanzas but usually only the first is sung and is the most well known?

Fernando Villavicencio

• ... that former National Assembly member Fernando Villavicencio was a journalist who helped uncover Ecuador's surveillance program towards journalists and politicians?

Tancredo Neves

• ... that because of his illness with diverticulitis, Tancredo Neves was never inaugurated as President of Brazil and remained as president-elect until his death in 1985?

Chinchilla

• ... that chinchillas (pictured) spray their own urine and release their fur as a defensive action?

Ted Kaczynski

• ... that before becoming "The Unabomber", Ted Kaczynski was a child prodigy and an assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley?

Dave Matthews Band Chicago River incident

• ... that in August 2004, a Dave Matthews Band tour bus dropped 800 pounds of human waste into the Chicago River and onto people on a boat below?

Hélène Carrère d'Encausse

• ... that even though she was the first woman as the head of the Académie Française, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse (pictured) insisted on using the male form of her title?

Mud March

• ... that the Mud March was an attempt by Union Army Major General Ambrose Burnside to attack Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia?

Orrin Hatch

• ... that while Orrin Hatch was the U.S. Senator from Utah, he earned USD $10,000 for writing songs for the LDS Church?

Hamster

• ... that even though they were first described in 1839, hamsters (pictured) were not successfully bred and domesticated until 1939?

Luisa González

• ... that former Assemblywoman Luisa González was attacked by pepper spray by the National Police of Ecuador while on her way to register her presidential candidacy?

Vatican City

• ... that Vatican City (pictured) is the smallest country in the world by size, at 0.49 km² and by population, at 764?

Great white shark

• ... that the great white shark (pictured) has no natural predators other than the killer whale?

Guillermo Lasso

• ... that Guillermo Lasso is the first Ecuadorian president to use muerte cruzada which dissolved the National Assembly to avoid his impeachment?

Treatment of women by the Taliban

• ...that because of they the way they treat women, the infant mortality in Afghanistan has gone up since the Taliban took power in 2021?

Marc Bolan

• ... that glam rock musician Marc Bolan, who never learned how to drive a car because of a fear of dying young, died in a car crash at aged 29?

Carly Fiorina

• ... that Carly Fiorina entered an election for the United States Senate less than a year after surviving breast cancer?

Venus

• ... that Venus (pictured) is the hottest planet in the Solar System despite being second from the Sun at an average of 480 °C (896.0 °F)?

2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine

• ... that Joe Biden's visit to Ukraine was the closest a U.S. president had come to a combat zone since Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War?

School bus

• ...that the lines on the sides of school buses (pictured) in the United States serve an important safety function in the event of an accident?

World War II

• ... that more people died due to World War II than any other war in history at around 73 million?

Desert kite

• ...that desert kites were probably used for hunting?

Elizabeth Thompson

• ... that the 1874 military painting Calling the Roll After An Engagement, Crimea (pictured) by Elizabeth Thompson was bought by Queen Victoria?

Wikipedia

• ... that Wikipedia (first logo pictured) started in early 2001 as a "feeder" website to Nupedia?

Shinzo Abe

• ... that at age 52, Shinzo Abe was the youngest person elected as prime minister of Japan in its post-war history?

Dinosaurs

• ... that the first known dinosaurs were bipedal predators that were one to two metres long?

Manhattan

• ... that on May 24, 1626, Manhattan (pictured) was bought from the Native Americans living on the island for $24 worth of guilders?

Abraham Lincoln

• ... that Abraham Lincoln (pictured) is considered by many to be the greatest President of the United States in U.S. history for his leadership during the American Civil War?

Woodrow Wilson

• ... that because of Woodrow Wilson (pictured) the League of Nations was founded and he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919?

Great Barrier Reef

• ...that the Great Barrier Reef (pictured), located in Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system and can even be seen from outer space?

The Chaos

• ...that The Chaos is a poem that shows that in English many words are not pronounced the way they are written?

Nudity

• ...that in some cultures, women would sometimes be naked until marriage, because people thought they had nothing to hide?

Articles of Confederation

• ... that Canada was pre-approved to become part of the United States of America in the Articles of Confederation section 11 without further votes?

Walking stick

• ... that sometime during the 17th century, the decorated walking stick replaced the sword carried by aristocrats as a status symbol?

Lichen

• ... that Lichen (pictured) can live on bare rock, walls, trees, wood, gravestones, and on exposed soil surfaces?

Jimmy Carter

• ... that at age 88, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter (pictured) helped build homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in 2012?

Antarctica

• ... that Antarctica (pictured) is the largest and coldest desert?

Amazon Rainforest

• ... that the Amazon Rainforest is so big and has so much biodiversity that it makes 20% of the world's oxygen, earning it the title "The Lungs of the Earth"?

Indentured servitude

• ...that girls and women who were indentured servants might be raped by their master. If they became pregnant their contract would be lengthened by two years?

Money

• ... that the first country to make metal coins (pictured) was called Lydia?

Mezquita de Córdoba

• ... that the Mezquita de Córdoba mosque (pictured) in Spain is supported by over 850 columns?