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From its humble beginnings as a daring experiment to its current status as the largest encyclopedia in human history, Wikipedia is more than just a website—it’s a testament to collective wisdom, collaboration, and the enduring thirst for learning.

From science to art, history to pop culture, Wikipedia has become the go-to source for quick answers, in-depth exploration, and everything in between. But the platform is not without its complexities: behind its clean, user-friendly interface lies a vast community of passionate contributors and tireless efforts to maintain accuracy.

So, what makes this online encyclopedia so relevant? And where did it all start? Click through this gallery to find out.

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Wikipedia is like an open-air library, accessible to everyone. With vast collections of topics updated regularly, it is the living encyclopedia of our digital age, putting the sum of human knowledge at everyone's fingertips.

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Built by countless volunteers from across the globe, Wikipedia is one of the largest reflections of humanity’s collective wisdom. It’s a true testament to the power of collaboration, where professionals, enthusiasts, and everyday users work together to create a free and evolving knowledge base.

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Wikipedia champions free access to knowledge by democratizing information. By being non-profit and ad-free, it ensures that anyone with internet access can learn, no matter their background.

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Unlike static books, Wikipedia is a living document. Its articles are continually updated, corrected, and expanded. This dynamic nature allows it to stay relevant and capture the ever-changing landscape of science, history, culture, and global events.

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Wikipedia was born on January 15, 2001, as a groundbreaking project by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Their vision was to create a free and open-access online encyclopedia that anyone could edit from anywhere, a step that revolutionized the sharing of knowledge forever.

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The name Wikipedia combines "wiki" (a Hawaiian term for "quick") with "encyclopedia," all to symbolize speed and accessibility with knowledge sharing. This clever fusion reflects the platform's mission to bring reliable information to users quickly.

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Unlike traditional encyclopedias curated by select experts, Wikipedia invites anyone to edit its pages. This open-door philosophy has been extensively celebrated, as it democratizes knowledge creation and enables diverse perspectives to contribute to the knowledge ecosystem.

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Wikipedia began as a side project of Nupedia, a peer-reviewed online encyclopedia. However, Nupedia’s slow, rigorous process couldn't compete with Wikipedia’s swift and collaborative model, which led to Nupedia's closure. Afterward, Wikipedia started rising in dominance.

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In its first year, Wikipedia experienced exponential growth, surpassing 20,000 articles across 18 languages. This early expansion was only a taste of the world’s enthusiasm for a collaborative platform where anyone could contribute to the sum of human knowledge.

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Now, Wikipedia is available in more than 340 languages. The online encyclopedia ensures that no culture or region is left behind, and it also empowers people to learn in their native tongues.

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The entire online encyclopedia’s library consists of more than 64 million articles. The English language comprises the most articles, with 6.9 million (a whopping 10.8% of all articles on Wikipedia), followed by the Austronesian language of Cebuano with 6.1 million.

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Openness is both Wikipedia's strength and vulnerability. Misinformation, vandalism, and bias are recurring issues on the platform, since anyone is able to edit articles. However, Wikipedia’s dedicated community of editors works diligently to correct inaccuracies and ensure the platform remains a reliable source of knowledge.

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Wikipedia operates under the Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization funded through global donations. This model protects the platform from commercial pressures, and guarantees its independence.

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Wikipedia thrives on the procrastination principle, which means that problems on the platform are only fixed as they arise. While this approach has been criticized, the method does foster continuous improvement, allowing Wikipedia to evolve dynamically.

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Wikipedia relies on volunteers for its content creation and maintenance. Their dedication is impressive, but the voluntary nature means some areas of the site may lack adequate coverage, while others benefit too much from overrepresentation.

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The online platform is not always suitable as a primary or sole academic source, and many institutions explicitly dissuade the use of Wikipedia. Oftentimes, academics are encouraged to follow deeper, peer-reviewed materials to obtain greater depth and authority.

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Governance on Wikipedia relies heavily on achieving consensus among contributors. While this ensures diverse viewpoints are considered, it can also slow decision-making when editors have conflicting perspectives about the platform’s policies.

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For disputes that cannot be resolved through consensus, Wikipedia’s Arbitration Committees step in. These committees (composed of experienced volunteers) mediate conflicts and enforce binding resolutions. They act as the platform’s ultimate authority on content and conduct disputes.

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Interestingly, several countries have imposed full or partial restrictions on Wikipedia due to concerns over content. Nations like China have fully blocked the platform, while others, such as Turkey, restricted access to specific articles deemed politically sensitive.

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Wikipedia has faced criticism for its gender disparity among contributors, since only 10–20% of the platform’s editors are women. Ongoing initiatives aim to address these gaps and encourage more representation across the platform’s content and community.

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In 2013, astronomers honored Wikipedia by naming an asteroid after it: 274301 Wikipedia. The asteroid, with a diameter of 0.6 miles (1 kilometer), is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

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Every device able to connect to the internet and edit Wikipedia articles has what is called an IP address (Internet Protocol address). It is a unique numerical label that serves two main purposes: identifying the device, and enabling communication between devices over the internet.

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In 2006, Wikipedia administrators started exercising their power to block specific IP addresses after discovering that staff members of certain US congressional representatives had edited articles to remove unfavorable details about themselves.

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Several documentaries and programs have explored Wikipedia’s impact, governance, and controversies. For example, the 2010 documentary ‘Truth in Numbers?’ delves into its history and the cultural implications of such a wide-reaching platform.

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While Wikipedia has many editors and contributors, there are some who stand out the most. Steven Pruitt has made the most changes to various articles on the platform, having contributed more than four million edits alone.

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Interestingly, the most edited Wikipedia article is on WWE wrestlers, which has been edited more than 53,000 times. This is followed by the article on George W. Bush, which has seen close to 50,000 edits.

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The ‘List of Law & Order episodes’ is one of Wikipedia's longest articles, spanning hundreds of thousands of characters and meticulously documenting every episode of the iconic TV series.

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On January 15, thousands of Wikipedia enthusiasts from around the globe gather to celebrate the online encyclopedia. Some museums and libraries even host events where participants are encouraged to document historical and cultural topics that contribute directly to Wikipedia’s vast repository of knowledge.

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As the digital world evolves, Wikipedia faces new challenges, from artificial intelligence to content moderation. But its unwavering commitment to free and open knowledge ensures its enduring relevance in an increasingly complex landscape.

Sources: (Wikipedia) (Britannica) (Days of the Year)