Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Software Development

San Francisco, California 16,494 followers

Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge.

About us

Wikipedia is a multilingual online encyclopedia, based on open collaboration through a wiki-based content editing system.

Website
https://www.wikipedia.org/
Industry
Software Development
Company size
10,001+ employees
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Type
Nonprofit
Founded
2001
Specialties
Publishing, Writing, and Encyclopedia

Locations

Employees at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Updates

  • The youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, Malala Yousafzai turns 27 years old on 12 July. Yousafzai is a human rights advocate for the education of women and children in her native homeland, Swat, in northwestern Pakistan, where the Pakistani Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. Her advocacy has grown into an international movement, and she has been called Pakistan's “most prominent citizen”. In 2012, Yousafzai was shot by a Taliban gunman in an assassination attempt targeting her for her activism. She was struck in the head by a bullet and remained in critical condition. The attempt on her life sparked international support, with reports saying that she may have become “the most famous teenager in the world”. After her recovery, Yousafzai became a more popular activist for the right to education. Since then, Yousafzai has co-founded a nonprofit organization, co-authored an international best seller, and received numerous awards – including the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17. Learn more about Malala Yousafzai ➡️ https://w.wiki/3Y #NobelPrize #Malala #ArticleOfTheWeek

    • Article of the Week: Malala Yousafzai. Photograph shows Malala Yousafzai speaking at the microphone during a lecture. Text says “The youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history turns 27 years old on 12 July”.
  • Here’s the ultimate answer to the meme, “Would you still love me if I was a worm?”  🌱🪱 Worm charming, also known as worm grunting or fiddling, is a tradition that involves using vibrations to attract earthworms to the surface. Techniques range from using wooden stakes and saws to music. In certain areas, professional worm grunters are required to obtain a permit to practice their craft. This unique practice isn’t just for finding fishing bait, though – it’s also a competitive sport with championships held around the world. The English village of Willaston has been the location of the annual Worm Charming World Championship since a local farmer’s son charmed a total of 511 worms out of the ground during a half-hour competition. Learn about the history and... charm of this activity ➡️ https://w.wiki/AJp8

    • Crowd gathered on a grassy lawn for a worm charming competition, with participants of all ages using different methods to coax worms out of the ground. Text says: Also known as worm grunting or fiddling, worm charming is a tradition that involves using vibrations to attract earthworms to the surface.
  • During Wikimania, volunteers from all over the world come together to discuss issues, report on new free knowledge projects and approaches, build networks, and exchange ideas. Participants can expect four days of panel discussions, workshops, celebrations, and more. Wikimania is also an opportunity to meet some of the inspiring people who help build the largest free knowledge repository in history. #Wikimania2024 will take place from 7 to 10 August, both online and in person in Katowice, Poland. There are activities for all audiences, whether you are a seasoned contributor to Wikimedia projects, a newcomer to this universe, or just curious about free knowledge. If you are interested, visit wikimania.org to learn how to participate.

    • Get ready for Wikimania 2024! The annual global conference organized by and for the volunteers behind Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects. It will take place in Katowice, Poland from 7 August to 10 August.
  • Do you know what the Caesar salad has to do with the Fourth of July? The Caesar salad was first improvised 100 years ago, in July 1924, on a day when the Caesar's restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, was overwhelmed and short on ingredients. The creation of the Caesar salad is generally attributed to Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States. Cardini lived in San Diego, California, but ran one of his restaurants in Tijuana to attract US customers seeking to bypass the restrictions of the Prohibition era. Cardini's daughter recounted that her father invented the salad when a Fourth of July rush depleted the kitchen's supplies. Cardini made do with what he had, adding the dramatic flair of table-side tossing by the chef. Other accounts of the history state that Alex Cardini, Caesar's brother, created the salad and that it was previously named the “Aviator Salad” because it was made for aviators who traveled over during Prohibition. A number of Cardini's staff have also said that they invented the dish. Today, a traditional Caesar salad consists of romaine lettuce and croutons dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, eggs or egg yolks, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, Dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Variations include changing the leaf, adding meat such as grilled chicken or bacon, or omitting ingredients like anchovies and eggs. Learn more about the Caesar salad ➡️ https://w.wiki/3sEo

    • Article of the Week: Caesar salad. A traditional Caesar salad, consisting of lettuce, cheese, and sauce, served on a white plate.
  • 🤖 Ever wondered why AI outputs are sometimes incorrect? This is called an AI hallucination – when artificial intelligence systems present false or misleading information as a fact. This analogy to human hallucinations isn’t just a tech quirk; it affects how much we can trust digital systems. One of the primary causes is called source-reference divergence. Even when working from accurate sources, AI models can combine training information in ways which are not faithful to the provided source. In one humorous scientific exploration of this phenomenon, ChatGPT was fed the false premise that churros, the fried-dough pastries, can be used for performing surgery. The AI, adhering to the input, created a detailed narrative claiming that “a study published in the journal Science” found that the dough’s pliability made it suitable for crafting surgical instruments. AI hallucination is still not fully understood. Researchers and developers are actively seeking methods to reduce these hallucinations, such as by having AI confirm answers with web search results or making multiple AIs debate to reach consensus. See more examples of AI hallucination ➡️ https://w.wiki/6Hz9

    • Futuristic graphic of a human mind contained within a blue digital space. Text says: Ever wondered why AI outputs are sometimes incorrect? This is called an AI hallucination – when artificial intelligence systems present false or misleading information as a fact.
  • Today, we reach the halfway point of 2024. 1 July is the 183rd day of the year. 183 days remain until the end of 2024. Here are some unique events that happened on this day throughout history. ⬇️ ➡️ In 1770, Lexell’s Comet passed closer to Earth than any other comet in recorded history, approaching to a distance of only 2,200,000 km or six times the distance from the Earth to the Moon: https://w.wiki/AMqT ➡️ In 1874, the Sholes and Glidden typewriter, the first commercially successful typewriter, went on sale: https://w.wiki/AMqZ ➡️ In 1881, the world’s first international telephone call was made between St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, and Calais, Maine, United States: https://w.wiki/AMqf ➡️ In 1903, the first Tour de France bicycle race began. The multiple-stage bicycle race is still happening every year. The Tour de France is the oldest of the three Grand Tours, the major European professional cycling stage races: https://w.wiki/3Y9Q ➡️ In 1908, SOS was adopted as the international distress signal – a globally recognized means for obtaining help, communicated by transmitting radio signals, displaying a visually observable item or illumination, or making a sound audible from a distance: https://w.wiki/_Z2B ➡️ Beyond that, several nations around the world celebrate their national, emancipation, or independence day on 1 July, including Suriname, Canada, Ghana, and Rwanda. Explore more of what took place on 1 July in history ➡️ https://w.wiki/AJnK

    • A red cup with the white text “it’s gonna be a glass half full day.”
  • Did you know that the earliest references to yoga can be found in the Rigveda, an ancient Hindu text dating back to around 1,500 BCE? Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices and disciplines that aim to control and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciousness untouched by the mind and mundane suffering. Over the centuries, yoga evolved into a systematic practice. Today, there is a wide variety of schools of yoga, practices, and goals. The term "yoga" in the Western world often denotes a posture-based physical fitness, stress-relief and relaxation technique, consisting largely of asanas (postures). This differs from the traditional yoga, which focuses on meditation and release from worldly attachments. This International Day of Yoga, celebrated on 21 June, explore more of this rich tradition → https://w.wiki/3izp

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • The 50th G7 summit is being held from 13 to 15 June in Fasano, Southern Italy (pictured). The Group of Seven (G7) is an intergovernmental political and economic forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Additionally, the European Union is a “non-enumerated member”. It is organized around shared values of pluralism, liberal democracy, and representative government. While lacking a legal or institutional basis, the G7 is widely considered to wield significant international influence. It has catalyzed or led major global initiatives, including efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, provide financial aid to developing countries, and address climate change through the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, the group has been criticized by some observers for its allegedly outdated and limited membership, narrow global representation, and ineffectualness. Originally formed in 1973, the G7 has met annually since 1975 for discussing and coordinating solutions to major global issues, especially in the areas of trade, security, economics, and climate change. Representatives of other countries and international organizations are often invited as guests. This year's summit also hosts leaders from Brazil, India, Kenya, the Vatican City, the United Nations, and more. Learn more about the 50th G7 summit → https://w.wiki/APMM

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • Have you ever noticed that once you learn about something new, you start seeing it everywhere? This cognitive bias is known as the frequency illusion. It’s when something you have recently noticed suddenly seems to appear with surprising frequency. Frequency illusion is also known as the “Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon”. This term emerged in 1994, coined by Terry Mullen after he experienced this effect with the name of German terrorist group Baader-Meinhof. After saying the name once, all of a sudden he was hearing it everywhere. Later, in 2005, Stanford linguistics professor Arnold Zwicky dubbed this the “frequency illusion”, bringing academic attention to the issue. So, why does this happen? According to Zwicky, it’s primarily due to two psychological processes: selective attention and confirmation bias. Selective attention causes us to unconsciously prioritize information that has recently been brought to our attention, making it more noticeable than before. Confirmation bias then reinforces this by filtering out instances that don’t fit our focused attention, making the newly noticed item seem even more prevalent. Understanding the frequency illusion can be useful in fields like medicine, where it can be put to positive use to increase awareness of less-common diseases. Next time you swear something has suddenly become a trend overnight, remember: It could be a cognitive trick. Learn more → https://w.wiki/6XxG

    • No alternative text description for this image
  • View organization page for Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, graphic

    16,494 followers

    From ancient tradition to global recognition, the Dragon Boat Festival captivates spectators with its exciting races and rich cultural heritage. Today is the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, celebrated in China and recognized internationally. Held on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, this festival features the excitement of dragon boat races, where teams paddle long, ornately decorated boats in sync to the beat of drums. It also includes spiritual elements such as prayers for health and luck. Participants enjoy zongzi, a traditional dish of sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. There are several stories about how dragon boat racing originated. The best-known modern explanation is that it started to honor the ancient patriot-poet Qu Yuan, who drowned himself in the Miluo River. Qu was so beloved that the local people raced out in their boats to try to save him. Today, communities across China take to the rivers in intricately decorated dragon boats to race. This significant cultural event was honored by UNESCO in September 2009, when it was officially recognized as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – the first Chinese festival to achieve this status. Learn more about the origins and excitement of the Dragon Boat Festival. → https://w.wiki/6oqP

    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
    • No alternative text description for this image
      +3

Similar pages

Browse jobs