It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.
Guidelines
If you see an article that lacks historical information, the best thing to do is, to
be bold and fix it.
Specific examples
Cities, towns, communities
For example, U.S. community entries based on U.S. Census data generally lack any historical information. All one has to do is pick a town, do some research, and write a historical sketch. (Examples:
Ballantine, Mont.;
Cusseta, Ga.;
Perry, Ga.) Notable communities may include
housing estates,
housing projects, some
subdivisions, and other unincorporated communities -- not to mention
ghost towns. Historical background on all these are less likely to be online, so offline local research may be needed.
Products, tools, inventions
An article on a product (manufactured item) or invention should include information on when (and where and why and how) it was first made and how it has changed over the years. Pretty good example articles are
Brick, which traces the development of bricks over many centuries, and
Semaphore (communication), which does the same for semaphore. A pretty bad one is
Lever, which says only that levers were used in ancient Egypt and written about by Archimedes.
Geographical features
An article on a geographical or topographical feature (river, mountain, or the like) should include information when it was discovered (by Westerners or altogether), how it has affected life (e.g., by erupting or overflowing), and how it has changed over the years (as by erosion). Pretty good example articles are
Yellow River, which discusses how the river has changed course over the centuries, and how those changes affected people's lives; and
Lake Champlain, which discusses how the lake was used in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. A pretty bad article is
Great Smoky Mountains, which has virtually no history at all.
Concepts (including mathematical objects and schools of philosophy)
Organizations, companies, nations
Research institute is a stub with many articles linking to it. What it most needs is historical background beyond the minimal account it now includes.
Modern books, works of art, films, games, computer programs, musical pieces, etc.
Older books, works of art, musical pieces, etc.
Scientific discoveries
planets, periodic-table elements, etc.: Virtually none of the scientific discoveries listed in
Category:Biology include provenance of the discovery; the researchers or papers. I've been adding it as I go along working on individual scientist biographies but someone going through the biology articles systematically would probably be better. --
lquilter 22:50, 6 January 2007 (UTC)reply
It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of
Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been
thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.
Guidelines
If you see an article that lacks historical information, the best thing to do is, to
be bold and fix it.
Specific examples
Cities, towns, communities
For example, U.S. community entries based on U.S. Census data generally lack any historical information. All one has to do is pick a town, do some research, and write a historical sketch. (Examples:
Ballantine, Mont.;
Cusseta, Ga.;
Perry, Ga.) Notable communities may include
housing estates,
housing projects, some
subdivisions, and other unincorporated communities -- not to mention
ghost towns. Historical background on all these are less likely to be online, so offline local research may be needed.
Products, tools, inventions
An article on a product (manufactured item) or invention should include information on when (and where and why and how) it was first made and how it has changed over the years. Pretty good example articles are
Brick, which traces the development of bricks over many centuries, and
Semaphore (communication), which does the same for semaphore. A pretty bad one is
Lever, which says only that levers were used in ancient Egypt and written about by Archimedes.
Geographical features
An article on a geographical or topographical feature (river, mountain, or the like) should include information when it was discovered (by Westerners or altogether), how it has affected life (e.g., by erupting or overflowing), and how it has changed over the years (as by erosion). Pretty good example articles are
Yellow River, which discusses how the river has changed course over the centuries, and how those changes affected people's lives; and
Lake Champlain, which discusses how the lake was used in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. A pretty bad article is
Great Smoky Mountains, which has virtually no history at all.
Concepts (including mathematical objects and schools of philosophy)
Organizations, companies, nations
Research institute is a stub with many articles linking to it. What it most needs is historical background beyond the minimal account it now includes.
Modern books, works of art, films, games, computer programs, musical pieces, etc.
Older books, works of art, musical pieces, etc.
Scientific discoveries
planets, periodic-table elements, etc.: Virtually none of the scientific discoveries listed in
Category:Biology include provenance of the discovery; the researchers or papers. I've been adding it as I go along working on individual scientist biographies but someone going through the biology articles systematically would probably be better. --
lquilter 22:50, 6 January 2007 (UTC)reply