Wikipedia celebrates 25 years: Insights into its volunteer editors' lives

It has been 25 years since Wikipedia debuted on January 15th, 2001. From its initial collection of just 100 pages, it has grown into an expansive resource of online knowledge with over 65 million articles that receive nearly 15 billion views each month.

In celebration, the Wikimedia Foundation — the nonprofit organisation behind Wikipedia — is releasing short videos that focus on eight editors from around the world. 

Among them are “Hurricane Hank,” who started contributing to Wikipedia in 2005 and added to the Hurricane Katrina page, as well as Netha, an Indian medical professional and seasoned Wikipedia editor who utilised her expertise to address misinformation on the site during the Covid pandemic.

This mini-series also features Joanne from the UK, who independently created the Wikipedia page for Eloise Butler — the founder of the first public wildflower garden in the United States — after learning about her on Instagram. 

Additionally, volunteer Gabe is working to ensure historical Black figures are properly and accurately represented on the site. 

The videos give a personal touch to some of Wikipedia's vast information, which has become crucial in the era of artificial intelligence.

The Wikimedia Foundation has also introduced a digital “time capsule.” This includes an audio message from Wikipedia's founder, Jimmy Wales, and reviews key events from the site's past, such as when its servers were nearly overwhelmed by visitors after Michael Jackson passed away in 2009.