The 25 most popular Wikipedia posts of all time

It is difficult to imagine the Internet without Wikipedia. But in the years since its debut in 2001, many critics have scoffed at the idea that a free, volunteer-run online encyclopedia could be considered a reliable source of information. If you were in high school or college during the early 2000s, you probably remember a teacher or two forbidding students from using Wikipedia in their research projects.

January 15 marks the 25th anniversary of Wikipedia’s premiere, and the digital landscape surrounding it is almost unrecognizable. Two and a half decades later, the Free Encyclopedia has more than 7.1 million entries in English alone, most of which are still written, edited, proofread, and maintained by tens of thousands of volunteers around the world. It’s still there Lots of issues With a website operating within these parameters, however, more often than not, a Wiki entry can serve as a starting point toward finding other useful resources.

But what are most Wikipedia visitors interested in knowing? The website’s parent organization, Wikimedia Foundationavailable Popular Science With a list of the 25 most searched Wikipedia topics of all time. While the Wikimedia Foundation says its data only goes back to 2008, it’s safe to say that these remain the most trending topics across millions of entries.

As it turns out, A a lot of people wondering who died recently. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the list is mostly a mix of politics, pop culture, sports, and history — but it’s still more than enough to keep you up to speed on your next trivia night.

As artificial intelligence continues to flood search engines and generative media blurs the lines between fact and fiction, human-centered endeavors like Wikipedia are becoming increasingly important for staying up to date on everything from biomedical research and historical events, to… Fraternal Order of Real Bearded Santas.

Wikipedia still faces its fair share of critics, some of them, however Very valid issues. Rather than lack of sources, some critics now claim (Without much evidence) which the encyclopedia is filled with Assumed political biases. But as Wikipedia has shown so far, it may be up to the task of proving the naysayers wrong. there Even a well-sourced entry on this topic.