History Main / SignificantReferenceDate

* ''The ''WesternAnimation/DanielTigersNeighborhood'' episode "Daniel's Fish Dies; Daniel's Strawberry Seeds", a VerySpecialEpisode about death, aired on February 26, 2020, one day before the 15th anniversary of Fred Rogers' passing.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Uglydolls}}'', Moxy circles May 10th on her calendar during the song "Today's The Day". This was the original release date of the film, before it was moved to avoid competition from ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu''.

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E4Help Help]]", Tara's [[spoiler:tombstone shows her date of death as May 7, 2002 - the date "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E19SeeingRed Seeing Red]]", her death episode, aired. Considering this, it's possibly an [[AvertedTrope aversion]] that her shown date of birth, October 16, 1980, ''doesn't'' match up with the airdate of "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E6Family Family]]" (November 7).]]

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E4Help Help]]", Tara's [[spoiler:tombstone shows her date of death as May 7, 2002 - the date "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E19SeeingRed Seeing Red]]", her death episode, aired.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' starts 41 years after Shuriki's invasion of Avalor, Creator/CraigGerber's age at the time of the show's production.

** In [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E4Help Help]], Tara's [[spoiler:tombstone shows her date of death as May 7, 2002 - the date [[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS6E19SeeingRed Seeing Red]], her death episode, aired.]]

* ''Series/{{Skins}}'' has constantly proven a nightmare to track the dating for; each series typically airs from January to March, but covers the academic year from September to July/August. Katie's episode in Series 4 provides a clue, though; the bailiffs read out a court order dated Febuary 17th 2010, the day before the episode's airdate (night passed during the episode, so it adds up), indicating that ''Skins'' airs in a stretched-out present with time skips.

* ''Series/AccordingToJim'', ''Series/PushingDaisies'', ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' and ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' had {{Halloween episode}}s broadcast on October 31st.

** A double one with Layer's birthday of January 13, shared with not only her performer Raychell's but also with the first day of the ''GARUPARTY! in Tokyo'' concert where The Third debuted as a backup band.

* During the scene in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' where Ripley confronts Burke, she mentions that his order to the colonists was dated "6/12/79", which was ''Film/{{Alien}}'''s release date.

* ''Series/AccordingToJim'', ''Series/PushingDaisies'' and ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' had {{Halloween episode}}s "Unruly Spirits", "Girth", "Excited and Scared" respectively released on October 31st.

** More so in classic Who serials than the current run, the year in which an adventure was set was likely to be an exact multiple of years (xty years / x centuries, for example) from the year of original transmission.

*** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E3SilverNemesis "Silver Nemesis"]] is set on the 23rd of November 1988.

*** The audio ''The Light at the End'' summons all the Doctors to the 23rd of November, 1963, with a little flashing red light.
*** The audio ''The Time Machine'' is set on 23rd November 2013.
*** The audio ''1963'' is set on 23rd November 1963.

* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' had "BOO!" and "Halloween: the Final Chapter" that aired on October 31st.

** Layer's birthday is January 13, the first day of the ''GARUPARTY! in Tokyo'' concert where The Third debuted as a backup band.

!!!'''Series:'''

* ''Series/AccordingToJim'', ''Series/PushingDaisies'' and ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' had [[HalloweenEpisode Halloween episodes]] "Unruly Spirits", "Girth", "Excited and Scared" respectively released on October 31st.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':

** [[spoiler:The Doctor's apparent death]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E1TheImpossibleAstronaut "The Impossible Astronaut"]] happens on April 22, 2011 in Utah, which due to the time zone difference was April 23 (the episode's air date) in London.

** Chu2's birthday is December 7, the first day of ''Bang Dream! 6th Live'' featuring Raise A Suilen as the main act and where their animated alter egos were first revealed.

* During the Kanto field trip in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}} Sun and Moon'', it's mentioned that the Hau'Oli Pokemon school is celebrating its 20th anniversary...just like the anime itself was.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'''s official birthday June 19th, ''1978'', the day the strip debuted in newspapers across America. An unusual example of ComicBookTime in that while he ''does'' admit he's aged four decades, neither he nor anything else around him make that readily apparent. He's definitely got [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creme_Puff_(cat) Creme Puff]] beat.

** The 23rd of November, the date of the show's first broadcast, crops up a lot, especially in the [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] and {{Milestone Celebration}}s:

* Hokuto and Minami from ''Series/UltramanAce'' were both born on July 7th, Eiji Tsuburaya's birthday.

** The date of the "Virtuous Mission" in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''.[[labelnote:*]]''originally the game was to take place in 1963, the year Kojima was born, as well, but he moved it back a year to mention Kennedy's death.''[[/labelnote]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'', ''WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily'', ''WesternAnimation/Recess'', ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' had Halloween episodes aired on October 31st as well as ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' 's second and tenth ''Treehouse of Horror'' episodes.
** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' had "Scare Master" that aired and took place on October 31st.

[[folder:Music]]
* In Creator/NeilCicierega's ''Mouth Sounds'' mashup album, the metadata properties for the songs are dated May 4, 1999, which was the release date of Music/SmashMouth's "All-Star" as a single. This continues with ''Mouth Silence'' (in which the tracks are dated May 3, 1999) and ''Mouth Moods'' (which dates the tracks on May 5, 1999).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* The ''Film/VForVendetta'' film adaptation [[WhatCouldHaveBeen tried]] to invert this by setting a release date of November 5th, 2005, but ended up being delayed to March 2006.
* ''{{Film/Caveman}}'', the 1981 comedy starring Music/RingoStarr and financed by Music/GeorgeHarrison, was produced in memory of the recently slain Music/JohnLennon. The opening titles note the film takes place "One Zillion BC, October 9th" - Lennon's birthday (the date, not the year).

* In ''Film/ConAir'', Cameron Poe's daughter's birthday [[note]] and the day Poe would meet her for the first time[[/note]] was July 14, the anniversary of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille Storming of the Bastille]], an historical event that foreshadows what happens onboard the "Jailbird" (it's taken hostage by convicts). [[note]]About 1000 people participated in the 1789 event, with seven prisoners said to be imprisoned there at the time. The number of named prisoners onboard at the beginning of the film? Seven: Pinball, Odell, Billy Bedlam, Johnny 23, Diamond Dog, Cyrus, and Cameron Poe.[[/note]]

* ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'' takes place on May 4th, Alice Pleasance Liddell's birthday, and the sequel ''Literature/ThroughTheLookingGlass'' takes place on November 4th, Alice's half-birthday.

* ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'': Prince Tuesday is an invoked day-of-the-week variant; his birth aired on a Tuesday.
* In the ''Series/RemingtonSteele'' episode "Elegy in Steele", Steele's arch-enemy, Major Descoine, returns and promises that Steele and Laura Holt would be dead by noon that day. As part of his terror campaign, he sees to it that they stumble across headstones with their names and that day's date on them. That date was the original broadcast date.
* In the final episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', the events brought up as evidence against the gang are referenced as happening on the original air dates.
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':
** In "The Excelsior Acquisition", Sheldon finds a traffic summons concerning an traffic incident that occurred on 11/16, the airdate of "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency", in which the violation happened.
** In "The Agreement Dissection" Sheldon lists the offences Leonard committed in the teaser as happening on April 28th, the original air date.
* The episodes of ''Series/TheMiddle'' and ''Series/ModernFamily'' - both titled ''Leap Day'' - originally aired Feb 29, 2012.
** In the episode of ''Series/TheMiddle'' titled ''The Guidence Counselor'', guest star Creator/WhoopiGoldberg gives her character's birthday as Nov 13th, same as her own.
* In the ''Series/ILoveLucy'' episode "Lucy Gets A Paris Gown", Lucy wants to get a new designer dress while in France. Ricky reads a letter Lucy wrote in Hollywood, promising Ricky if he'd buy her a Hollywood designer dress, she would NEVER ask for another designer dress. The note is dated 2/28/55 -- The broadcast date of the episode "The Fashion Show" in which Lucy gets said dress. Extra coolness points awarded when you realize the writers had no idea that anyone in the future would create episode guides, listing airdates.
** In "Lucy's Mother-in-Law", Lucy tells the assistant of a mind reader that her birthday is August 6th, Lucy's actual birthday.
* In the ''Series/QuantumLeap'' episode "The Leap Back", Al mentions that the day outside the imaging chamber was September 18th, 1999. The episode originally aired September 18th, 1991.
* ''Series/DoctorWho''
** In the fifth series of New Who, Amy's wedding [[spoiler:and the date from which the Cracks radiate]] is revealed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E5FleshAndStone "Flesh and Stone"]] to happen on the broadcast date of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E13TheBigBang "The Big Bang"]].
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]] tried to do this: the story was set on November 21, 2059, but the episode aired on November 15, 2009 due to a scheduling conflict.
** [[spoiler:The Doctor's apparent death]] in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E1TheImpossibleAstronaut "The Impossible Astronaut"]] happened on April 22, 2011 in Utah, which due to the time zone difference was April 23 (the episode's air date) in London.
** Moreso in classic Who serials than the current run, the year in which an adventure was set was likely to be an exact multiple of years (xty years / x centuries, for example) from the year of original transmission.
** The 23rd of November, the date of the show's first broadcast, crops up a lot, especially in the Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse and {{Milestone Celebration}}s:

*** Clara Oswin Oswald's birthdate in [[Recap/DoctorWho2012CSTheSnowmen "The Snowmen"]] is 23rd November 1866.

* In the ''Series/{{Maverick}}'' episode "The Day They Hanged Bret Maverick", Bret's tombstone shows his birthdate to be April 7th (the same as that of James Garner). The death date on the tombstone is September 21st, which was the airdate of this episode.
** In another episode, "The Misfortune Teller", Maverick gives his birthday as May 11th, which was the birthday of Leo Townsend (the writer of that episode).
* At the end of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode "Welcome to Korea" (B.J.'s first episode), the PA announces the date that Col. Sherman Potter would arrive to take command of the ''4077th''. That date was the date of the broadcast of the next episode, in which Potter is introduced.
* A screen in the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' episode "In a Mirror, Darkly Part 2" gives [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries James T. Kirk]]'s birthday as March 22, which is Creator/WilliamShatner's birthday.
* In ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', Summer asks if Project Go-Onger was built in 1975, which happens to be [[Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger the debut year]] of the ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' franchise from which ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' pulls its fight footage and costumes from.
* The TVLand special ''[[Series/BradyBunchSpinOffs Brady - An American Cronical]]'' note Brady events as taking place on the original broadcast dates.

* ''Series/{{Skins}}'' has constantly proven a nightmare to track the dating for; each series typically airs from January to March, but covers the academic year from September to July/August. Katie's episode in Series 4 provides a clue, though; the bailiffs read out a court order dated Febuary 17th 2010, the day before the episode's airdate (night passed during the episode, so it adds up), indicating that ''Skins'' airs in a stretched-out present with time skips.
* Hokuto and Minami from ''Series/UltramanAce'' were both born on July 7th, Eiji Tsuburaya's birthday.

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' the license plate on the Impala for the first two seasons is KAZ 2Y5, referring to the Winchester's birthplace of Kansas and the year the series started, 2005.

* ''Series/{{Columbo}}'': In episode "[[Recap/ColumboS09E05 Uneasy Lies the Crown]]" Columbo offhandedly states that he's been on the force 22 years. That episode aired 22 years after the original ''Columbo'' pilot movie, "[[Recap/ColumboS00E01 Prescription: Murder]]".
* ''Series/AccordingToJim'', ''Series/PushingDaisies'' and ''Series/DesperateHousewives'' had [[HalloweenEpisode Halloween episodes]] "Unruly Spirits", "Girth", "Excited and Scared" respectively released on October 31st.

* In the ''Series/ILoveLucy'' episode "Lucy Gets A Paris Gown", Lucy wants to get a new designer dress while in France. Ricky reads a letter Lucy wrote in Hollywood, promising Ricky if he'd buy her a Hollywood designer dress, she would NEVER ask for another designer dress. The note is dated 2/28/55 -- The broadcast date of the episode "The Fashion Show" in which Lucy gets said dress. Extra coolness points awarded when you realize the writers had no idea what a rerun was at this point...let alone that anyone in the future would create episode guides, listing airdates.

* In the ''Series/QuantumLeap'' episode "The Leap Back", Al mentions that the day outside the imaging chamber was Sept 18th 1999. The episode originally aired Sept 18th 1991.