Wikipedia launched with a simple edit on January 15, 2001—”This is the new WikiPedia!”—ushering in a new era of collaborative knowledge. Twenty-five years on, it draws millions daily across 342 languages, topping Google results and training AI models without ads or paywalls. Remarkably, this volunteer-driven nonprofit thrives amid digital giants, storing 775 terabytes of content.
From one humble homepage tweak, Wikipedia ballooned to over 66 million articles by December 2025, with English boasting 7 million—over 5 billion words taking 38 years to read solo. Storage rivals 3,000 iPhones, fueled by human edits and bots like Lsjbot pumping Cebuano to second-most articles despite sparse users. Consequently, it spans 342 languages, evolving from English roots via automation and global volunteers.
Bots and humans alike battle vandalism, with edits hitting 5.7 per second in 2024—40% bot-driven for links and stats. Yet, human traffic dipped 8% in 2025 as AI summaries rise, though total views reached 1.9 trillion over a decade.
Traffic Titans: Top Pages and Trends
Donald Trump’s page leads with 300 million decade views, trailed by Elon Musk, Marvel films, ChatGPT, and annual death lists nearing 500 million combined. Monthly peaks track news: deaths like Charlie Kirk’s 15 million single-day spike on Sept. 10, 2025, or events like London bombings’ 2,857 edits in 24 hours.
Everyday staples like “Dog” hold steady, while Mariah Carey surges December-ly and Olympics cycle predictably. Sports lists dominate edits—WWE personnel tops 59,000 revisions—reflecting real-time updates on UFC, Netflix, ATP.
Editor Army and Ad-Free Magic
Over 600,000 active users (edits in last 30 days) sustain it, with 45% on English and 15 million ever-registered. Unregistered editors add freely under limits. Hosted by Wikimedia Foundation, donations alone fund this behemoth, shunning ads unlike peers.
Key Wikipedia Milestones
Article Count: 66M total; English 7M words = 38-year read.
Views Decade: 1.9T total; Trump #1 at 300M.
Storage: 775TB ≈ 3,000 iPhones.
Edits Pace: 5.7/second; bots 40%.
Languages: 342, Cebuano #2 via bots.
Q&A: Wikipedia Wonders
Q: What’s the first edit ever?
A: “This is the new WikiPedia!” on HomePage, Jan 15, 2001; Jimmy Wales’ “Hello, World!” NFT sold for $750K.
Q: Why fewer human views in 2025?
A: AI summaries in search cut clicks by ~8%; bots still hit 88B views yearly.
Q: Most-edited page?
A: List of WWE personnel, 59K+ revisions; news events like bombings spike daily.
Q: How does it stay free?
A: Public donations, volunteer editors; no ads, hosted by nonprofit Wikimedia.
FAQ: Wikipedia Facts
Total page views last decade?
1.9 trillion; English 49%, Mandarin/Hindi lag due to blocks.
Active contributors?
600K+ monthly; 15M English ever-edited.
Top single-day views?
Charlie Kirk: 15M on death news day, Sept 10, 2025.
Bots’ role?
40% edits; create articles (Lsjbot), fight vandalism, update lists.
Future amid AI?
Trains LLMs, tops searches; human edits ensure accuracy despite traffic shifts.
Wikipedia’s endurance proves open collaboration outpaces algorithms. As it hits 25, its volunteer spirit keeps knowledge free and evolving for billions.
