Talk:Isaac Asimov
From Muppet Wiki
Birthdate
Is there a question about his birthdate? The Encyclopedia Britannica says Jan. 2, 1920. -- Ken (talk) 06:33, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- Wikipedia's quote from his autobiography suggests there is a question:
- “The date of my birth, as I celebrate it, was January 2, 1920. It could not have been later than that. It might, however, have been earlier. Allowing for the uncertainties of the times, of the lack of records, of the Jewish and Julian calendars, it might have been as early as October 4, 1919. There is, however, no way of finding out. My parents were always uncertain and it really doesn't matter. I celebrate January 2, 1920, so let it be.”
- For Muppet Wiki purposes, it's probably sufficient to use the January 2, 1920 date, I'd have thought -- the dispute is hardly central to what we need to cover, and Asimov himself clearly accepts that date. Gusworld 18:29, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- Well, since Asimov celebrated his birthday on the date but notes that he's not certain about it factually, the "ca." seemed appropriate. We can take it out if it seems confusing or distracting; I'm just always wary of including a precise year whenever uncertainty surrounds it (in this case, on the part of Asimov himself). -- Andrew Leal (talk) 18:49, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- Good point. The odd thing about the text as it stands is that there's a very precise date for Asimov's death, but it doesn't get mentioned. I guess it might be odd to say "(ca. 1920-April 6, 1992)" though. Gusworld 21:08, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- A general Wiki rule is to include birth/death years only for celebrities and other people, saving full dates (when known) for those who our job is to document more fully (Muppeteers, Sesame Street cast, designers, Gerry Parkes, etc.) I could just take the dates out entirely, which if necessary, I'd prefer over stating "1920-1992" as if it were an indisputable fact. -- Andrew Leal (talk) 21:47, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- Well, I would like to keep the dates in. He's too famous, and if they're not there, it would look like we forgot to put them in there. I'm okay with the "ca."; it's just that I didn't know there was any question. The Encyclopedia Britannica is usually very good about putting either question marks or mentioning disputed things like dates and places. But maybe they didn't even know about his birthday being in doubt, especially if Asimov picked a day, and stuck with it his whole life. I think we can leave this conversation here for people who wonder why there's a "ca.", and leave the page as it is. -- Ken (talk) 02:27, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
- A general Wiki rule is to include birth/death years only for celebrities and other people, saving full dates (when known) for those who our job is to document more fully (Muppeteers, Sesame Street cast, designers, Gerry Parkes, etc.) I could just take the dates out entirely, which if necessary, I'd prefer over stating "1920-1992" as if it were an indisputable fact. -- Andrew Leal (talk) 21:47, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- Good point. The odd thing about the text as it stands is that there's a very precise date for Asimov's death, but it doesn't get mentioned. I guess it might be odd to say "(ca. 1920-April 6, 1992)" though. Gusworld 21:08, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
- Well, since Asimov celebrated his birthday on the date but notes that he's not certain about it factually, the "ca." seemed appropriate. We can take it out if it seems confusing or distracting; I'm just always wary of including a precise year whenever uncertainty surrounds it (in this case, on the part of Asimov himself). -- Andrew Leal (talk) 18:49, 9 January 2008 (UTC)