What comes to mind when you hear the word Wikipedia? Do you picture a website that has volumes upon volumes of information, or do you imagine a website that is just all text with photos here and there? Sure, Wikipedia might not be the most attractive of websites, but we can’t lie. It’s among the most visited websites on the internet.
Surprised? It’s true! Wikipedia has a topic on practically anything; it’s among the first websites people visit to prove a point or end a debate. Although your teacher or boss might dub it an unreliable website, its popularity is undeniable.
If you are looking for more surprising Wikipedia facts like these, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to talk about some weird and mind-blogging facts this public information-sharing website has to offer, from DAFT to super fun policies. We have some juicy Wikipedia fun facts that will tickle your brain. And if it’s still not enough, we’ll introduce you to some weird and wacky Wikipedia pages you won’t believe exist.
What is Wikipedia, and Why is it So Special?
Before we move further to those interesting facts we discussed earlier, let’s go over one Wikipedia for those who don’t know much about it. If we ask Wikipedia itself, then it will introduce itself as ” a free-content online encyclopedia written and maintained by the community of volunteers.”
In layman’s terms, it is a free public website where everyone can write, edit, or read content. Wikipedia was the brainchild of Lawrence Mark Sanger and Jimmy Wales, which made it a credible, authoritative website that has all the information.
Why Wikipedia is so popular?
There were two reasons it became so popular. First, it was among the first websites that gave full control to the public to share information. As it practically made anyone a writer or an editor, the website was able to collect and categorize a high volume of information.
Wikipedia had a strong community from the start. Although it didn’t have rules during the start, being in the public domain, the threat of vandalism and misinformation loomed over the site. For this reason, the community formed its policies and guidelines that helped streamline the process of editing and writing.
The second reason why its popularity rose was because the site offered information on practically anything. Everyone knows that if they have any queries or unsolvable debates, Wikipedia is their go-to website for getting a proper conclusion.
The site has a vast amount of information on notable topics. Ranging from people to places, animals to things. Anyone interested will get what they are looking for on the site. With more information than practically any other website, it took the spot of the most visited online encyclopedia.
10 Weird and Surprising Wikipedia Facts to Learn Right Now!
Now that you’re done with a refresher on the website, it’s time to go over those surprising Wikipedia facts that we promised. So, without further ado, let’s go over some Wikipedia fun facts you never knew of:
1- It’s Not Physically Possible to Read Every Wikipedia Article at Any Given Time:
Do you know what the fastest thing in the world is? You probably would answer light, and you’re right on that one. But did you know what comes second?
That’s the rate at which information is created and shared. We live in a day and age where technology rules us. It has caused a boom in information sharing. Reports indicate that by 2025, digital data alone will rise to 163 zettabytes as the world adapts to technology. To give you an estimate of how much data a zettabyte contains, one single zettabyte can store around a trillion movies and still have space to store countess eBooks.
The same goes for Wikipedia as well. If you were to take up the challenge of reading everything on Wikipedia, you’d fail! Why, you ask? Because it’s impossible. Every day, more than 600 authentic and weird Wikipedia pages are added, not to mention countless edits happening every second. With so much information added and edited, it’s physically impossible to read everything on Wikipedia at any given time.
2- Wikipedia Has More Users than the Population of Some Countries:
Here’s another fun fact! Did you know volunteers who contribute to Wikipedia are called “Wikipedians”? Sounds like a foreign nationality, right? Well, although Wikipedia isn’t a country, if it hypothetically was, then it would be more populated compared to most countries.
Currently, there are more than 46 million Wikipedians who volunteer to edit, create, and update content. This community is bigger than the population of more than 200 countries, including Canada, Australia, and Spain. It’s a good thing Wikipedians are pacifists and don’t want to wage war on the rest of the world. Jokes aside, the website has a strong community, the sole reason for the site being still relevant.
3- Wikipedia Users Debate over What’s the Last Topic on the Site Would Be:
Some people are interested in discussing morbid topics of death and disease. You can find that same weirdness on Wikipedia. We don’t mean all Wikipedia volunteers in the community, but some have shown this quirkiness through weird Wikipedia pages.
We’re talking about the “Last Topic Pool” page on the site. This is another surprising Wikipedia fact most people are unaware of. As the name suggests, the page is all about what the last Wikipedia topic on the site would be. Here, the community offers their take on the last page of Wikipedia. Although we’re unsure of what the future holds for us or Wikipedia, you’ll find some creative yet crazy guesses of the last topic people would discuss on the site, from the End of the Earth to a timer to world destruction to aliens’ excursion. For Wikipedians, anything is possible!
4- Take a Peek at Wikipedia Trash- DAFT:
DAFT stands for “Deleted Articles with Freaky Titles” Yes, this is another Wikipedia page that touches both borders of weird and interesting. As the name suggests, the page is filled with articles from past deletions with really orthodox names.
Here, you’ll find some very odd titles for articles. Although some titles were deleted for obvious reasons or not, this is the best place to search what writers did in the past that led to article or title deletion.
5- Wikipedia is Super Strict on Policies:
Wikipedia isn’t all fun and games. Well, it’s mostly not fun and games. Although it has some odd pages, it still has a mission to provide authentic and reliable information to the masses. To ensure the information is all that, the community has established absolute policies and guidelines that decide whether a page or edits stay.
We say absolute because the community considered these policies set in stone. They don’t let anyone violate these policies. To prove how strict they are about policies and guidelines, they implemented a 10-day ban on anyone with a Congress IP address in 2014, as aggressive editing started to occur as election day was closing in.
6- Wikipedia Supports 336 Languages:
Wikipedia isn’t a website for native English speakers. It’s a globally recognized website. Being internationally known, the website doesn’t just offer content in English, but it also supports quite a number of languages. These range from the common English to the lesser-known Sango.
As people from around the world visit the site for the aim of learning, Wikipedia supports around 336 languages. Although it doesn’t support all languages spoken in the world, it does cover majorly spoken ones. If you’re lucky, you might find Wikipedia in your native tongue.
7- Wikipedia Makes Policies Fun:
Even though Wikipedia is super strict with policies, it still has some fun ones. Have you ever heard of “No Angry Mastodons”? It’s a policy for Wikipedia editors that discusses the dos and don’ts of Wikipedia editing. Just like this one, Wikipedians have crafted policy articles with silly titles to add a bit of humor to the informative site.
Some other policies you might haven’t heard of include:
- No climbing the Reichstag dressed as Spider-Man
- Jimbo’s Prayer
- No Curses (they don’t mean the vulgar kind)
8- Wikipedia Wasn’t Intentionally Made for the Public:
Another surprising fact about Wikipedia was that it wasn’t the same as it is today. No, we don’t mean it had a different purpose. Rather, the site had much more restrictions on who would share content.
As the founders aimed to create a platform that offers accurate and reliable information to the site, they didn’t consider giving it to the public first. Instead, the site was thought of to be offered to literary experts themselves. By experts, we refer to people who have the qualifications to discuss topics of their niche.
However, seeing how slow the process was for other encyclopedia platforms, they scrapped the idea and made it public. This allowed more people to contribute, edit, and share information on the website, making it what it is today.
9- The Most Viewed Wikipedia Page- Surprise! Surprise! The Main Page:
Although not an unsurprising Wikipedia fact, it still is a fact! Among the Wikipedia page that has the most views is the main page of the site. This shows that people often visit the site of their own free will to learn about anything.
While it’s true that most visitors often go to the page about what they want directly through Google th, the website appears on the first-page list half the time. But, the majority often tend to open the site to search for it.
Weird Wikipedia Pages You Heard Here First!
We’ve gone through some pretty bizarre facts about the site, but did you know that facts aren’t the only bizarre thing? Although the site has pages upon pages of information, sometimes writers like to have fun by creating pretty weird Wikipedia pages that make you ask, “Why?” Let’s go over some of the weird yet interesting side of Wikipedia you never knew of:
1- Unusual articles: Home of All Wikipedia Oddities:
If you’re looking for the strange and bizarre side of Wikipedia, then luckily for you, there is a page for that as well. On this page, you can find stuff on pretty much anything weird. The cool thing about the page is that, just like every page, it’s structured to make it more navigational.
It has cataloged these quirky articles and pages to groups. These groups include places, religion, and even questions people wrote about. Visit the page; you might find something that catches your eye.
2- What Is It Like to Be a Bat?
We’re not lying. This is a literal Wikipedia page someone made. Don’t ask us why they made it, but they did. Maybe they wanted to feel what this majestic animal was feeling. Or maybe they just wanted to be Batman.
Jokes aside, the page is on a published paper by a Philosopher named Thomas Nagel. He wanted to discuss how, although people can imagine themselves as bats, the animal bat wouldn’t have the capability to know what it’s like to be a bat. We know it’s confusing, but give it a read if you want to learn more.
3- List of People Imprisoned for Editing Wikipedia:
Woah! Wikipedia editing can lead to prison! Didn’t know it was that dangerous! Well, it’s actually not. Spreading misinformation about war or making biased political statements can lead to a spot in jail. Wikipedia editing isn’t a job for everyone. If you’re unsure about editing Wikipedia, then consider hiring an expert Wikipedia writing service to do it for you.
4- List of Works Based On Dreams:
Did you know that Frankenstein was the creation of a dream? Don’t believe it, look it up. Mary Shelley, the author of the book, got the idea from a vivid dream she had. She took the concept of dreams to reality in a literal sense. And the funny thing is she’s not the only one. Many individuals have used the concepts from their dreams to make astonishing creations and discoveries. If you want to learn about what people dreamt of and made, then consider visiting the List of Works Based on Dreams page on Wikipedia.
5- Mathematical joke:
Why was six afraid of seven? Because seven, eight, nine. If you’re a fan of mathematical puns such as these, then be sure to check out the Wikipedia page filled with Mathematical jokes. If you’re into intellectual humor or consider numbers a funny thing, then you’ll find a number of jokes that are sure to tickle your funny bones.
6- Unusual ways to get your article on Wikipedia:
If you’re still hung up on creating your own Wikipedia page, then luckily for you, Wikipedia has some really unorthodox ways you wish you never knew about creating a Wikipedia page. From suing Satan to get your cat elected mayor, you’re sure to laugh at how Wikipedia may get you a page if you are able to do anything from the list.
Final Note:
In conclusion, if you thought Wikipedia was anything apart from fun, you’re mistaken. With a strong, supportive community that adds more information daily, you can find several surprising Wikipedia facts that show a different side of the side. We hope you had fun while reading the fun facts we offered on Wikipedia. Be sure to check out the weird Wikipedia pages we listed. Getting informed doesn’t just mean reading plain info, but a little humor can make it fun.