MIDI

— Wikipedian —
The logo for MIDI, a technical standard for communicating between digital musical devices, from which I took my username
Pronouns	He/him
Nationality	British
Country	UK
Current location	South East
Languages	English
Time zone	BST (UTC+01:00)
Account statistics
Joined	11 August 2007 (18 years, 4 months and 19 days ago)
First edit	11 August 2007 (18 years, 4 months and 19 days ago)
Administrator	14 November 2009 (16 years, 1 month and 16 days ago)

My username comes from the MIDI (/ˈmɪdi/) standard. I'm male, aged in my thirties, and live in the south of England. My pronouns are he/him.

I've been around for 18 years, and have been an administrator for 16. I have contributed many new articles, 81 of which have been listed at DYK with almost a third of a million page views while part of the section.

These days, most of what I do here is MOS-based copyediting and editing articles about current events. I use the administrator tools for page protection and occasionally for enforcing the blocking policy or revision deletion.

For transparency, I have made a declaration of my potential conflicts of interest.

• On four occasions, I had two articles in the same hook:
  1. Murray Kane, who wrote the song "Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?"
  2. Thomas Barrie, who had his ears cut off
  3. Charles Ingle, who wrote "My Old Dutch"
  4. Daniel and Anne-Margaretta Burr, an eccentric couple who owned a maypole-climbing monkey
• Many of the entries do not comply particularly well with WP:MOS. Is this because MOS has evolved over the years? Is it because my knowledge of (and experience with) MOS has improved? "Yes" to both of these, I should think
• My favourite hook was on the main page in October 2012: "did you know that the Backstreet Boys had a song called "Fuck Off?" Obviously not the same band who released "As Long as You Love Me" and "Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely"—rather, the name Wayne County and the Electric Chairs went by at the time the song was written.
• Approximately 32% of my DYK hooks are related to waterways
• Approximately 36% of my DYK hooks are related to music
• Approximately 6% of my DYK hooks are about people called Charles

The article with the most views while on DYK was the Burnley Embankment, which had over 29,000 hits in December 2019—this puts it on the list of all-time highest read lead hooks. The article with the fewest views while on DYK was Henry Eastburn, which had about 350 hits in February 2020. A few DYK listings are without statistics—stats.grok.se wound up in around 2016, and it seems some pages there simply weren't archived by websites such as the Wayback Machine.

#	Article(s)	Date	Hook	Image	Views	Statistics
1	Albino Ballerina	23 December 2008	... that "Albino Ballerina", the final single by indie rock band Sweet Jesus, gained extensive critical acclaim before the band's commercial success dwindled and they soon disbanded?	n/a	548	[1]
2	Broad Street, Reading	9 April 2009	... that Broad Street in Reading, England – the site of a 1688 battle and crucial to the Earl of Essex's siege of the town – is now a pedestrianised shopping street?	n/a	1,742	[2]
3	Rock 'n' Roll Prophet	21 January 2010	... that Rock 'n' Roll Prophet, the only album on which Rick Wakeman sang lead vocals, received criticising reviews that described it as "goofy", "novelty", and like "pressing the self-destruct button"?	n/a	Unknown	Unknown
4	Outer Trial Bank	16 March 2010	... that the Outer Trial Bank, a nature reserve in East Anglia, UK, was originally built as part of a failed government scheme to barrage the Wash and create a reservoir?	n/a	2,267	[3]
5	Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?	11 April 2010	... that "Have Ya Got Any Gum, Chum?", a 1944 novelty jazz song written by Murray Kane and performed by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, was inspired by a phrase used by British children towards American soldiers during World War II?	n/a	Unknown	n/a
6	Murray Kane				Unknown	n/a
7	A.F.C. Aldermaston	18 April 2010	... that A.F.C. Aldermaston, a non-league football club from Berkshire, has been dubbed the "worst English football team in history" after losing 40 consecutive matches?	n/a	2,182	[4]
8	The Poem Tree	24 June 2010	... that in 1844, Joseph Tubb created The Poem Tree by carving a 20-line poem into the bark of a beech tree (pictured) at Wittenham Clumps?		3,919	[5]
9	Johnny Parker (jazz pianist)	1 July 2010	... that the piano riff played by Johnny Parker on the 1956 song "Bad Penny Blues" has been suggested as a possible influence on The Beatles' "Lady Madonna"?	n/a	758	[6]
10	George Shepherd (artist)	19 July 2010	... that George Shepherd (sample painting pictured) was one of the founding members of what is now the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours?		966	[7]
11	Baughurst	27 July 2010	... that one suggested toponomy of Baughurst in Hampshire is that the village is named after the "wood of the badgers"?	n/a	1,170	[8]
12	Alexander Day	17 August 2010	... that con man Alexander Day used the name 'Marmaduke Davenport Esq.' to convince his victims that he was a member of the gentry in order to gain purchasing credit, which he would never repay?	n/a	3,344	[9]
13	Rock gong	21 August 2010	... that the rock gong was a neolithic musical instrument made out of dolerite that would resonate with a metallic tone when struck with a small igneous stone?	n/a	2,920	[10]
14	ADEOS II	27 September 2010	... that the ADEOS II satellite (artist's drawing pictured), which cost 70 billion yen (US$570 million) to develop, failed 10 months into the mission after the solar panel malfunctioned?		6,924	[11]
15	ADEOS I	3 October 2010	... that the NASDA satellite ADEOS I malfunctioned less than a year in orbit – a fate repeated by its successor six years later?	n/a	624	[12]
16	Thomas Barrie	4 November 2010	... that Thomas Barrie, found guilty in 1538 of spreading rumours about Henry VIII of England, had his ears cut off while in the pillory and later died from shock?	n/a	8,141	[13]
17	Cropping (punishment)				5,800	[14]
18	The Ballad of Molly Mogg	5 November 2010	... that "The Ballad of Molly Mogg" was "writ by two or three men of wit" – John Gay, Alexander Pope and Dean Swift – while sheltering from a storm?	n/a	2,280	[15]
19	BBC-Marconi Type A	22 November 2010	... that in the 1930s, there were concerns that the BBC-Marconi Type A microphone (pictured) would infringe the patent of a similar, but more expensive, microphone made by RCA?		5,603	[16]
20	Charles Ingle	13 December 2010	... that Charles Ingle, who composed the music for "My Old Dutch", gained his pseudonym during a "spirit of waggery"?	n/a	1,120	[17]
21	My Old Dutch				1,016	[18]
22	Google Art Project	12 February 2011	... that Google's Art Project features digital versions of 17 pieces of artwork (including Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, pictured) at a resolution of 7 gigapixels?		7,071	[19]
23	Send tape echo echo delay	12 April 2011	... that Geoff Emerick, who co-created the send tape echo echo delay audio effect at Abbey Road Studios, once said that "God only knows" how it worked?	n/a	4,471	[20]
24	Spill (audio)	28 April 2011	... that although audio spill is often undesirable in the recording of popular music, it can be heard on records by The Beatles and Christina Aguilera?	n/a	13,302	[21]
25	Charles Edward Keyser	2 June 2011	... that in 1893, stockbroker and Knight Templar Charles Edward Keyser bought Aldermaston Court – a mansion built by a student of his grandfather?	n/a	1,057	[22]
26	Daniel Higford Davall Burr	2 June 2011	... that Daniel and Anne-Margaretta Burr's eldest son, Higford, took an ancestor's surname – and was known as Higford Higford?	n/a	615	[23]
27	Anne-Margaretta Burr				792	[24]
28	Genetic Studios	23 June 2011	... that when he established Genetic Studios in 1980, record producer Martin Rushent spent £35,000 on air conditioning alone?	n/a	931	[25]
29	Lathom Hall	19 September 2011	... that despite reports that they played so badly their set was cut short, The Beatles' first performance at Lathom Hall led to a number of future bookings there, earning them the 2005 equivalent of £120 per concert?	n/a	1,809	[26]
30	Aintree Institute	22 September 2011	... that Brian Epstein was so angered that The Beatles were paid in loose change for a gig at the Aintree Institute, he never booked with the venue's promoter again?	n/a[a]	5,123	[27]
31	Doctor Willard Bliss	27 September 2011	... that after his shooting in 1881, U.S. President Garfield was treated by Doctor Doctor Bliss (pictured)?		18,049	[28]
32	Coles 4038	28 September 2011	... that the Coles 4038 microphone, used on records by The Beatles and Led Zeppelin, has the appearance of a waffle iron?	n/a[a]	11,883	[29]
33	Tetbury railway station	17 December 2011	... that in 1963, a whole farm—including machinery, staff and a pedigree herd of Hereford cattle—travelled by train from Tetbury railway station to Stranraer in advance of the Beeching Axe?	n/a	1,123	[30]
34	Herbert Haddock	14 April 2012	... that the first captain of the Titanic was Captain Haddock?	n/a	6,830	[31]
35	RV Le Suroît	15 April 2012	... that the French research vessel Le Suroît was involved in the search for the wreck of the RMS Titanic but missed it by less than one kilometre?	n/a[a]	1,422	[32]
36	RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act	15 April 2012	... that despite signing it in 1986, President Ronald Reagan objected to parts of the RMS Titanic Maritime Memorial Act?	n/a	3,622	[33]
37	Carl Hogan	8 May 2012	... that the "most famous signature in rock 'n' roll" – the opening riff to Chuck Berry's 1958 hit "Johnny B Goode" – was actually a jazz riff played 12 years earlier by Carl Hogan?	n/a	Unknown	Unknown
38	Charles Connor	17 May 2012	... that the drum introduction to Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" actually copied Charles Connor's drumming on Little Richard's 1957 hit "Keep A-Knockin'"?	n/a	465	[34]
39	Monmouthpedia	19 May 2012	... that Monmouthpedia has led to Monmouth being described as the "world's first Wikipedia town"?	n/a	3,525	[35]
40	The Yes Album Tour	30 June 2012	... that Yes's 1970–71 tour began with Steve Howe joining the band and ended with Tony Kaye leaving?	n/a	Unknown	Unknown
41	Fragile Tour	3 July 2012	... that Yes cancelled a show on their Fragile Tour after the van carrying their PA system broke down—as did two others sent to replace it?	n/a	2,260	[36]
42	Close to the Edge Tour	9 July 2012	... that on Yes's 1972–73 tour, Rick Wakeman and Steve Howe played a rendition of "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport" at an Australian show?	n/a	1,177	[37]
43	88 Elmira St.	19 August 2012	... that Danny Gatton's 1991 album 88 Elmira St. featured a version of "The Simpsons Theme", with the added sound effect of a fart?	n/a	585	[38]
44	Fuck Off (song)	4 October 2012	... that The Backstreet Boys had a song called "Fuck Off"?	n/a	5,779	[39]
45	Count off	23 February 2013	... that Bono counts off the song "Vertigo" with "one, two, three, fourteen!" in Spanish?	n/a	1,534	[40]
46	Art Lassiter	23 May 2013	... that Tina Turner sang on "A Fool in Love"—her breakthrough hit—after original vocalist Art Lassiter failed to turn up for the song's recording session?	n/a	798	[41]
47	List of people who performed on Beatles recordings	31 July 2013	... that more than 200 performers appeared on recordings by The Beatles, playing instruments such as an alarm clock and a heap of gravel?	n/a	3,909	[42]
48	Wellingtonia Avenue	8 January 2014	... that Henry John Elwes described Wellingtonia Avenue (pictured) as "by far the best avenue" of giant sequoia that he had seen?		5,247	[43]
49	Highclere, Kingsclere and Basingstoke Light Railway	13 January 2014	... that despite having public support and some land purchased, the Highclere, Kingsclere and Basingstoke Light Railway was never built?	n/a	2,174	[44]
50	Back to the Future (musical)	8 February 2014	... that the Back to the Future musical is scheduled to première in the West End in 2015—the same year that Marty McFly and Doc Brown travelled to in Back to the Future Part II?	n/a	Unknown	Unknown
51	Steinway Vertegrand	11 October 2014	... that Gustav Mahler said that the Vertegrand – the same type of piano as used by The Beatles on "Lady Madonna" – could "satisfy a musician's requirements in every respect"?	n/a[a]	3,920	[45]
52	Reading Central Goods railway station	14 April 2015	... that locomotives at Reading Central Goods railway station used to tow vessels upstream on the neighbouring River Kennet?	n/a	Unknown	Unknown
53	BBC Four Goes Slow	14 May 2015	... that in May 2015 BBC Four aired "the most boring TV show ever"—an un-narrated, two-hour narrowboat journey on the Kennet and Avon Canal?	n/a	6,625	[46]
54	The Top Notes	6 October 2016	... that although the Beatles had a more successful version, the first recording of "Twist and Shout" was by The Top Notes, and was produced by Phil Spector—who later went on to produce The Beatles?	n/a	3,047	[47]
55	John Hore	22 February 2017	... that canal engineer John Hore was described as setting a new standard for inland waterways with the Kennet navigation, also characterized as an important forerunner of the canals of the Industrial Revolution?	n/a	1,554	[48]
56	River Jordan, Dorset	13 May 2018	... that a pumping station on the River Jordan used a section of the damaged funnel from the SS Great Eastern as a water filter?	n/a[a]	1,091	[49]
57	1275 British earthquake	11 September 2019	... that an earthquake on 11 September 1275 caused the destruction of the church on Glastonbury Tor (tor and rebuilt church pictured) and was felt across England and Wales, but its epicentre is unknown?		6,455	[50]
58	Foulridge Tunnel	28 November 2019	... that a local story suggests that in 1912, a cow swam the entire 1,630-yard (1,490 m) length of the Foulridge Tunnel before being pulled out and treated to some brandy?	n/a	7,428	[51]
59	Burnley Embankment	3 December 2019	... that The Straight Mile (pictured) is not a straight mile, and includes The Culvert which isn't a culvert?		29,761	[52]
60	Charles Blackwell (engineer)	4 December 2019	... that civil engineer Charles Blackwell was the third Blackwell (after his father and his grandfather) to be elected to the Institution of Civil Engineers?	n/a	1,184	[53]
61	Seven Wonders of the Waterways	9 December 2019	... that the Seven Wonders of the Waterways includes the UK's longest and highest aqueduct, its longest, deepest, and highest canal tunnel, and the world's only swinging aqueduct?	n/a	7,651	[54]
62	Thomas Evans Blackwell	12 December 2019	... that Thomas Evans Blackwell was, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the first hydraulic engineer in England?	n/a[a]	1,604	[55]
63	John Blackwell (engineer)	16 December 2019	... that John Blackwell was dismissed for being "bigoted and obstinate" by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for suggesting a new road might cause a landslide, which indeed happen once the road was built?	n/a	6,593	[56]
64	BBC Radio Theatre	29 December 2019	... that the Concert Hall inside the BBC's Broadcasting House was pressed into service as a dormitory at the outbreak of World War II?	n/a[a]	615	[57]
65	Charles Jones (engineer)	23 January 2020	... that despite Charles Jones already having a reputation for ineptitude and dishonesty, he was awarded the contract to dig the longest canal tunnel in England?	n/a[a]	2,378	[58]
66	Cassington Canal	24 January 2020	... that the Cassington Canal was built by the Duke of Marlborough to connect his lands to the River Thames and the country's network of canals and rivers?	n/a	3,165	[59]
67	Blackwall Rock	1 February 2020	... that one surveyor's proposal for removing the Blackwall Rock obstruction in the Thames involved using explosives he knew would likely kill some of the labourers?	n/a	3,782	[60]
68	Henry Eastburn	3 February 2020	... that Henry Eastburn studied under his uncle John Smeaton before undertaking his own civil engineering projects, such as the Basingstoke Canal?	n/a	356	[61]
69	Little Cut	16 February 2020	... that the Little Cut, a quarter-mile branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, had the only tunnel containing a towpath on the entire 127-mile (204 km) canal?	n/a	1,607	[62]
70	Sydney Gardens Tunnels	21 March 2020	... that contrary to popular belief, a hatch in the roof of the Cleveland Tunnel in Bath was probably not used to pass paperwork between office workers above and vessels below?		4,489	[63]
71	Combe Hay Locks	6 April 2020	... that in eight years, the Somerset Coal Canal used three different ways of climbing a 130-foot (40 m) valley—first with caisson locks, then an inclined plane, and finally a flight of 22 locks?	n/a[a]	2,834	[64]
72	Roses and Castles	19 July 2020	... that the "gaudy" stylised floral paintings (example pictured) used to decorate narrowboats and their fittings may have originated from decorations on Romani wagons?		2,204	[65]
73	Port Way	6 April 2021	... that historians do not agree on how Port Way entered the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum?	n/a[a]	4,894	[66]
74	Hungerford police murders	20 December 2021	... that in December 1876, two police officers were murdered by brothers who had poached just two pheasants and a jay?	n/a[a]	8,510	[67]
75	Terras Bridge	16 January 2022	... that vehicles crossing Terras Bridge (pictured) go over a tidal river, an ungated level crossing, and the remains of a canal?		4,135	[68]
76	Looe Bridge	18 January 2022	... that the medieval Looe Bridge had either 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, or 18 arches?	n/a	5,290	[69]
77	Roundhouse (Thames and Severn Canal)	2 February 2022	... that after viewing the Coates round house, the prospective occupant's fiancée refused to marry him unless the canal company made the property more habitable?	n/a[a]	6,219	[70]
78	Siddington, Gloucestershire	28 March 2022	... that the lock flight (pictured) in Siddington, Gloucester­shire has lain abandoned for almost 100 years, but restoration is now planned?		11,485	[71]
79	Clinton Keeling	24 October 2022	... that the Sugar Puffs bear once escaped from Clinton Keeling's home zoo?	n/a	1,635	[72]
80	Masurian Canal	1 May 2023	... that according to rumour, the Masurian Canal (abandoned lock structure pictured) was built to serve a U-boat facility?		15,151	[73]
81	Burnham Copse Infant School	1 May 2023	... that while a British school inspired by a circus tent was described as "eclectic and witty", its "plain functional" replacement won an RIBA Award?	n/a	14,473	[74]
					≥ 327,012

Some mine, some others':

• WP:MABEL – don't assume that the date someone's death was announced was the date they died
• User:MIDI/RD – the misuse of {{recent death}} and justification for its removal on articles
• WP:Use plain English – use all the words you need, but no more
• WP:The problem with elegant variation – don't overuse synonyms; they distract readers and remove clarity