diff --git a/examples/text_labels_and_annotations/date.py b/examples/text_labels_and_annotations/date.py
index 90e9f94a511e..72beeace35fa 100644
--- a/examples/text_labels_and_annotations/date.py
+++ b/examples/text_labels_and_annotations/date.py
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@
 Date tick labels
 ================
 
-Show how to make date plots in matplotlib using date tick locators and
-formatters.  See major_minor_demo1.py for more information on
-controlling major and minor ticks
+Show how to make date plots in Matplotlib using date tick locators and
+formatters.  See :doc:`/gallery/ticks_and_spines/major_minor_demo` for more
+information on controlling major and minor ticks.
 
 All matplotlib date plotting is done by converting date instances into days
 since 0001-01-01 00:00:00 UTC plus one day (for historical reasons).  The
@@ -23,33 +23,31 @@
 
 years = mdates.YearLocator()   # every year
 months = mdates.MonthLocator()  # every month
-yearsFmt = mdates.DateFormatter('%Y')
+years_fmt = mdates.DateFormatter('%Y')
 
-# Load a numpy record array from yahoo csv data with fields date, open, close,
-# volume, adj_close from the mpl-data/example directory. The record array
-# stores the date as an np.datetime64 with a day unit ('D') in the date column.
+# Load a numpy structured array from yahoo csv data with fields date, open,
+# close, volume, adj_close from the mpl-data/example directory.  This array
+# stores the date as an np.datetime64 with a day unit ('D') in the 'date'
+# column.
 with cbook.get_sample_data('goog.npz') as datafile:
-    r = np.load(datafile)['price_data'].view(np.recarray)
+    data = np.load(datafile)['price_data']
 
 fig, ax = plt.subplots()
-ax.plot(r.date, r.adj_close)
+ax.plot('date', 'adj_close', data=data)
 
 # format the ticks
 ax.xaxis.set_major_locator(years)
-ax.xaxis.set_major_formatter(yearsFmt)
+ax.xaxis.set_major_formatter(years_fmt)
 ax.xaxis.set_minor_locator(months)
 
-# round to nearest years...
-datemin = np.datetime64(r.date[0], 'Y')
-datemax = np.datetime64(r.date[-1], 'Y') + np.timedelta64(1, 'Y')
+# round to nearest years.
+datemin = np.datetime64(data['date'][0], 'Y')
+datemax = np.datetime64(data['date'][-1], 'Y') + np.timedelta64(1, 'Y')
 ax.set_xlim(datemin, datemax)
 
-
 # format the coords message box
-def price(x):
-    return '$%1.2f' % x
 ax.format_xdata = mdates.DateFormatter('%Y-%m-%d')
-ax.format_ydata = price
+ax.format_ydata = lambda x: '$%1.2f' % x  # format the price.
 ax.grid(True)
 
 # rotates and right aligns the x labels, and moves the bottom of the