Wikipedia Day

Wikipedia Day is a holiday observed annually on January 15th, celebrating the website that has been the launching point for many research sessions. Don’t believe us? If not, then head on over to Wikipedia and check it out for yourself. This holiday celebrates the birth of the site and is celebrated by fans all over the world.

This day is for people to get together to host special events, talk with other Wikipedia users, or simply spend the day doing a bit of research. If that sounds like fun, then stick around and allow us to entertain you with a deeper discussion of this holiday.

The History of Wikipedia Day

Wikipedia was established and first edited on January 15, 2001. This date is also when Creative Commons registered its website. Wikipedia uses this free and open copyright system.

So, anyone wishing to observe Wikipedia Day can also take the time to celebrate Creative Commons Day. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Wikipedia Day has been observed by faithful users of the site since 2001. It is observed every year online, and we suppose that some people also take the time to celebrate it in their homes as well.

Some Facts About Wikipedia

Okay, now that we’ve dug deep into Wikipedia Day, it’s time to dig deep into the website that inspired it. After quite a bit of research (some of which started on Wikipedia), we came up with the following bounty of fun facts. Let’s check them out!

  • Wikipedia and its sister projects receive more than 10 edits per second.
  • There are over 32 million people with registered usernames on Wikipedia. They are known as Wikipedians and have the ability to edit pages on the site.
  • In 2011, Wikipedia created a page to list Wikipedia Day celebrations and meetups.
  • Most Wikipedia editors are male. Approximately 90% of them, in fact.
  • Wikipedia has over 55 million articles in more than 300 languages.
  • Every single month, over 1.5 billion devices access Wikipedia services.

Observing Wikipedia Day

Anyone wishing to observe this holiday can do so by treating Wikipedia Day as they would any birthday celebration. Maybe have a cake decorated, get some ice cream and pointy hats, and then invite friends and family members over to wish Wikipedia a happy birthday! Of course, there are online, official celebrations of this holiday that people can also enjoy. All they have to do is head to Wikipedia and see for themselves.

When is it?
This year (2024)
January 15 Monday
Next year (2025)
January 15 Wednesday
Last year (2023)
January 15 Sunday
Topic
Education & Reading