How the registry works
Methodology & editorial standards
The rules every entry must pass before it ships — and the definitions behind every status badge.
1 · Notability threshold
A subject enters the registry only with documented public notability: sustained coverage in major outlets, public filings, court records, or established historical significance. Private individuals are categorically excluded regardless of public curiosity.
2 · The two-source rule
Each factual claim is traceable to at least two independent, stable sources: encyclopedias of record (Wikipedia/Wikidata), wire services (Reuters, AP, AFP), official records (courts, regulators, corporate filings), or the subject's own public archive. Single-source claims are flagged or held.
3 · Honest dates
Dates carry precision: day (“Nov 6, 2013”), month (“Nov 2013”), year (“1985”), or circa (“c. 1937”). We never dress an estimate up as a fact.
4 · Review cycle
Every entry shows a last-reviewed stamp. Entries are re-checked every 90 days or when material news breaks. Corrections are published within 48 hours of verification, with the change noted.
5 · Status definitions
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Active | Operating, performing, or publicly present today. |
| Retired | Withdrawn from public or professional life by choice or circumstance. |
| Deceased | Confirmed death; dates from the public record. |
| Defunct | Ceased to exist: dissolved, liquidated, or shuttered with no successor. |
| Acquired | Absorbed by another entity; the original identity no longer operates independently. |
| Transformed | Fundamentally restructured, revived, or repurposed — the name survives in a new form. |
| Concluded | A time-bounded event or era that has ended. |
| Unknown | Genuinely unresolved: disappearance, lost records, or open questions. |
6 · Tone
Neutral, clear, unsensational. We describe what happened and cite who established it. Adjectives are earned; verdicts belong to courts and historians, not to us.