Here are some facts you probably didn’t know about Wikipedia.
There’s an official theme song
There’s an official theme song called Hotel Wikipedia, to the tune of Hotel California, with lyrics such as, ‘’Welcome to the Hotel Wikipedia/Such a lovely place/So much empty space.
Its maker panicked that the idea was too obvious
Jimmy Wales had previously worked in open-source, free software, and thought the idea would work for an encyclopedia. He said, ‘ I was in a real kind of panic because I thought this is such an obvious idea that other people will do it.
There’s a Wikipedia Monument in Poland
The Wikipedia Monument is located in Slubice and was designed by Armenian sculptor Mihran Hakobyan.
It’s almost as accurate as a real encyclopedia
A major study in science journal Nature found that Encyclopedia Britannica averaged three minor mistakes every entry in science articles, compared to four in Wikipedia.
Founder Jimmy Wales first launched a browser known as the ‘Playboy of the internet’
Before launching Wikipedia, founder Jimmy Wales launched Bomis, a browser and web directory which some described as the ‘Playboy of the internet’ as users devoted a lot of time to collecting images of attractive women.
There’s a ‘No Angry Mastodons’ policy
Wikipedia often has jokey titles for serious policies, such as, ‘No Angry Mastodons’, which refers to measures to stop editors working while angry.
Someone edited Wikipedia from space
Astronaut Paulo Nespoli recorded audio for use on his Wikipedia page from the International Space Station in 2017.
Jimmy Wales says he doesn’t regret not making a profit
Unlike Google or Facebook, Wikipedia does not make money: but Wales says he is not bothered by missing out on the vast wealth of other Silicon Valley founders. He said, ‘I don’t regret it at all. My life is very interesting. I’m not a very money motivated person.
Every January 15, fans celebrate Wikipedia Day
Every year, Wiki editors and fans celebrate the site’s ‘birthday’ on January 15.