JavaScript is not available.

May 18

There are several things that make a Wikipedia article unique. For example, did you know you can see all the sources used by editors to build an article? Discover more in #AWikiMinute ▶️

Quote Tweet

Wikimedia Foundation

@Wikimedia

May 17

Reliable sources. Fact-based information. Debate. Collaboration. These are a few things that make @Wikipedia different from other online sources of information. Take a minute to learn more on what makes a Wikipedia article unique. #AWikiMinute

1:11

1.5K views

10h

In chess, the names of the game pieces vary depending on the language. The piece known in English as the “knight” frequently translates as “horse,” and the “bishop” is often translated as “elephant” in some language areas.

Chess piece - Wikipedia

101

May 20

This is not a snake. While the eastern glass lizard looks similar to a snake with its streamlined, legless body, it is in fact a lizard. Unlike snakes, it has moveable eyelids, external ear openings located behind its eyes, and an inflexible jaw. w.wiki/6Xx7

read image description

ALT

112

May 19

One of the largest festivals in Japan, #SanjaMatsuri (三社祭) takes place every year on the third weekend of May featuring parades, traditional music, and dancing. It is held in honor of the founders of Sensō-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. w.wiki/6j8U

Article of the Week. Hands carrying a golden shrine in.

read image description

ALT

We welcome the US Supreme Court ruling issued today on the case of Gonzalez v. Google. The Court left intact Section 230 — which

Gonzalez v. Google: What’s at stake for Wikipedia?

volunteers rely on to share reliable, well-sourced information with people around the world. (1/3)

medium.com

Update from Rebecca MacKinnon, Vice President of Global Advocacy at the Wikimedia Foundation:

Have you ever grit your teeth; clenched your fists; or felt the urge to bite, pinch, and squeeze after seeing something cute? There is a name for that behavior: cute aggression.

Cute aggression - Wikipedia

May 16

"Do not give up. Keep on your quest." This is motivational advice from Junko Tabei, who, on this day in 1975, became the first woman to summit Mount Everest.

Junko Tabei - Wikipedia

May 15

Ugali is eaten widely across the African continent, where it has different local names. In 2017, this dough-like corn meal made from cooked maize or corn flour was added to

@UNESCO

's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. ⬇️

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. This is the googol, or 10¹⁰⁰. It has no special significance, but is useful when comparing very large quantities. w.wiki/3rWf

598

May 13

Mobile phone throwing is an international sport in which participants throw mobile phones and are judged on distance or technique. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the current record holder threw a phone 110.42 meters (362 feet) away. w.wiki/6doU

May 12

Here are a few facts about the second confirmed image of a black hole, released one year ago today: ● Processing took 5 years of calculations ● Involved 8 observatories at 6 locations ● The image is not a photo—it's based on radio interferometer data w.wiki/5A7e

112

May 11

💋 Kissing gourami is a type of fish best known for its protruding mouth that looks like a pair of puckering lips. When two kissing gouramis "kiss," they are actually engaging in a "mouth fight," a display of aggression. 🐟

Kissing gourami - Wikipedia

In Search Of Wikipedia's Shrug Guy | Defector

May 10

And in case you are curious, here's the Wikipedia article about "shrug" featuring The Shrug Guy, also known as Nate Rogers ⬇️

During a night out, a friend takes photos of you. Fifteen years later, one of those pictures is featured in the Wikipedia article about "shrug." You are now known as "The Shrug Guy." Here's the whole story by

@anniierau

, creator of

@DepthsOfWiki

. ⬇️

defector.com

Wikipedia photos are not professional stock photos, they’re blurry shots by some guy named, like, Jeff, who got a digital camera for Christmas in 2004.

106-year-old Filipina artist Whang-od is often described as the "last" and oldest mambabatok (traditional Kalinga tattooist). She has tattooed headhunters and women of the Indigenous people of Butbut in Buscalan since she was 15. w.wiki/6ZcS 📷 Lee, CC BY-SA 2.0.

May 8

In a group of 23 people, there is a 50% chance of at least two of them sharing a birthday. This is the birthday paradox, a counterintuitive fact that functions as a veridical paradox: it seems wrong at first glance, but is, in fact, true.

Birthday problem - Wikipedia

126

May 8

There are more than 6.5 million articles on English Wikipedia. But there is still a lot to cover, especially when it comes to topics and groups that are underrepresented on the website. Learn why this happens and who is helping to change it in #AWikiMinute ▶️

Quote Tweet

Wikimedia Foundation

@Wikimedia

May 2

The lack of information by or about certain people, places, and cultures is what we call “knowledge gaps.” Those exist everywhere – including on @Wikipedia. But that is changing. Take a minute to learn more about these gaps and the people working to close them. #AWikiMinute

1:05

2.3K views

May 7

Treeshrews are the only mammals besides humans to intentionally eat spicy food. Their pain response to food high in capsaicin, like chili peppers, is reduced – an evolutionary adaptation so they are able to consume spicy food in their natural habitats.

Treeshrew - Wikipedia

Why Wikipedia Is So Tough on Bigfoot

May 6

In 1996, the British Government returned the stone to Scotland, when not in use at coronations, and it was transported to Edinburgh Castle, where it is now kept with the Scottish Crown Jewels. (4/4) Learn more: w.wiki/6fpR 📷: UK Government Scotland, CC BY-SA 4.0

In 1950, a group of Scottish students removed the stone from Westminster Abbey, intending to return it to Scotland. The stone was eventually left on the altar of Arbroath Abbey, a Church of Scotland property. It was returned to Westminster four months after its removal. (3/4)

Also known as the Stone of Destiny, the sandstone block weighs about 335 lb (152 kg). Monarchs used to sit on the Stone of Scone itself, until a wooden platform was added to the Coronation Chair in the 17th century. (2/4)

The Stone of Scone was originally used in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. After the 13th century, when it was seized by King Edward I of England, it was used in the coronation of the monarchs of England, Great Britain, and the UK. (1/4) w.wiki/6fpR

171

It's not that

inherently dislikes Bigfoot. It's that reliable sources haven't been able to verify its existence.

@HarrisonStephen

explains more in

@Slate

. ⬇️

slate.com

For a decade, Wikipedia has been the site of a passionate war between cryptozoologists and skeptics.

Every year, volunteers at wikimedia commons hold a contest called

@WikiLovesEarth

for the best earth photo. I think this one is my favorite winner one ever

281

2,786

On this day in 1892, archaeologist Dorothy Garrod was born. Garrod was the first woman professor at the University of Cambridge. Her work focused on the origin of the modern humans. She took a break to serve in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force during WWII. w.wiki/6fQG

read image description

ALT

May 4

104 years ago today, Beijing students protested the Chinese government's response to the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. The movement they started kindled Chinese nationalism and empowered populism over intellectual and political elites.

May Fourth Movement - Wikipedia

May 3

Holographic wills are a type of will and testament that are handwritten and signed by the person who made them. ✍️ They are often created in emergency situations, such as when the author of the will is alone, trapped, and near death.

Holographic will - Wikipedia

May 2

📷: Geert-Jan Edelenbosch, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Completed in 1987, the Homomonument in Amsterdam, Netherlands, was the first monument in the world to honor LGBTQI+ people who were killed in World War II. Today, it commemorates all people who have been persecuted because of their sexual orientation. w.wiki/6d5f

Aerial view of the Homomonument. The monument is an abstract composition of three pink triangles made of granite, which together compose a larger triangle. The triangle is next to a canal.

read image description

ALT

133

In many countries, 1 May is #InternationalWorkersDay, a celebration of workers. It originated in an 1856 mass walkout of Australian workers as part of the eight-hour workday movement, an effort to regulate the length of a working day and prevent abuses.

International Workers' Day - Wikipedia

Apr 30

Surfing was brought to Australia from Hawaii in 1915. Since then, the country has become one of the world's premier surfing destinations. 🌊 Australia is home to many surfing tournaments and innovative surfboard-makers.

Surfing in Australia - Wikipedia

Apr 29

Let's celebrate this #InternationalDanceDay with some history. From July to September 1518, dozens of people in Strasbourg, France, danced for weeks. Modern theories seeking to explain the epidemic vary from food poisoning to stress-induced mass hysteria.

Dancing plague of 1518 - Wikipedia

Apr 28

One summer in the 12th century, two children with green skin appeared in Woolpit, England, speaking an unknown language and refusing to eat anything but raw fava beans. This is the legend of the green children of Woolpit. Learn more: w.wiki/8YN

Article of the week. A village sign to Woolpit with representations of the green children.

read image description

ALT

Apr 27

Lady Wonder was a horse said to have psychic abilities, including predicting the outcome of boxing fights and political elections, and being consulted in criminal investigations. She was trained to allegedly spell answers to 150,000+ visitors from the US.

Lady Wonder - Wikipedia

Apr 26

#OnThisDay in 1986, the worst civil nuclear incident in the world took place. The Chernobyl disaster near Pripyat, Ukraine, had health effects and environmental impacts that remain uncertain to this day.

Chernobyl disaster - Wikipedia

Apr 25

Sudanese-Norwegian visual artist Ahmed Umar is an LGBTQI+ activist who campaigns for gay visibility. Having grown up in Sudan, Umar uses their art to explore identity and the experience of coming out in a traditional Sufi family.

Ahmed Umar (artist) - Wikipedia