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Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. It was launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. Wikipedia's mission is to provide free access to the sum of all human knowledge to everyone in their own language. Over the years, it has grown to become one of the largest and most popular general reference works on the internet, featuring millions of articles in numerous languages.

Creation Time:2024-05-16 18 key nodes English

The Timeline

2001 — 2023

  1. 2001

    Launch of Wikipedia

    Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger. It began as a complementary project to Nupedia, a free online encyclopedia with articles written by experts.
  2. 2002

    Introduction of Interlanguage Links

    In 2002, Wikipedia introduced interlanguage links, allowing users to navigate between different language editions of articles, significantly enhancing its usability and accessibility.
  3. 2003

    Creation of Wikimedia Foundation

    The Wikimedia Foundation was established on June 20, 2003, to support Wikipedia and its sister projects. This non-profit organization manages the infrastructure and fundraising for Wikipedia.
  4. 2004

    Launch of Wikimedia Commons

    Wikimedia Commons, a repository for free-use images, sound, and other media files, was launched in September 2004 to support Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects.
  5. 2005

    Wikipedia Surpasses 1 Million Articles

    In March 2005, the English Wikipedia reached 1 million articles, marking a significant milestone in its development and demonstrating its rapid growth.
  6. 2006

    Introduction of the Wikipedia Logo

    The now-iconic puzzle globe logo of Wikipedia was introduced in 2006, symbolizing the collaborative and global nature of the project.
  7. 2007

    Wikipedia Enters Top 10 Websites

    In 2007, Wikipedia became one of the top 10 most visited websites in the world, highlighting its importance as a major source of information on the internet.
  8. 2008

    Launch of Wikipedia Mobile

    Wikipedia Mobile was launched in 2008, making the encyclopedia more accessible to users on smartphones and other mobile devices.
  9. 2009

    Introduction of Flagged Revisions

    Flagged revisions were introduced in 2009 to improve the quality of articles by allowing certain edits to be reviewed before becoming visible to the public.
  10. 2010

    Wikipedia Surpasses 3 Million Articles

    The English Wikipedia reached 3 million articles in August 2010, continuing its trend of rapid growth and expansion.
  11. 2011

    Wikipedia's 10th Anniversary

    Wikipedia celebrated its 10th anniversary on January 15, 2011, with events held around the world to commemorate a decade of free knowledge sharing.
  12. 2012

    SOPA and PIPA Blackout

    In January 2012, Wikipedia participated in a 24-hour blackout to protest the SOPA and PIPA bills, which threatened internet freedom and the open sharing of knowledge.
  13. 2013

    VisualEditor Release

    The VisualEditor, a user-friendly, WYSIWYG editor for Wikipedia, was released in 2013 to make editing articles easier for new contributors.
  14. 2015

    Wikipedia Turns 15

    Wikipedia celebrated its 15th anniversary on January 15, 2015, marking a decade and a half of providing free access to knowledge.
  15. 2017

    Wikipedia Surpasses 5 Million Articles

    The English Wikipedia reached 5 million articles in November 2015, solidifying its position as one of the largest and most comprehensive encyclopedias in history.
  16. 2020

    Wikipedia and COVID-19 Information

    During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wikipedia played a crucial role in providing reliable information about the virus, showcasing its importance as a trusted source of information.
  17. 2021

    Wikipedia's 20th Anniversary

    Wikipedia celebrated its 20th anniversary on January 15, 2021, with global events and initiatives to honor two decades of free knowledge sharing.
  18. 2023

    Introduction of Abstract Wikipedia

    Abstract Wikipedia, a project aimed at creating a language-independent version of Wikipedia, was introduced in 2023 to further enhance the accessibility and reach of the encyclopedia.

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