Wikipedia has revealed its most popular articles of 2016, ranked by the number of edits made over the course of the year. They offer a reminder of just what an odd year 2016 has been, with Death and Donald Trump being the most-edited articles over the past 12 months.
With so many metrics to choose from, Wikipedia could have ranked its articles in a number of different ways. However, ranking articles by the number of edits made to them means we're given a good overview of trending topics. These articles required so many revisions because the stories behind them had such a long shelf life.
Wikipedia lists hundreds of its most-edited articles, but here are the Top 10:
- Deaths in 2016 (18230)
- Donald Trump (8933)
- List of Hillary Clinton presidential campaign endorsements (6527)
- United States presidential election (6162)
- Republican Party presidential primaries (5715)
- 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting (5540)
- Bailando 2015 (5342)
- List of Donald Trump presidential campaign endorsements (5328)
- 2016 in sports (5277)
- 2016 in South Korean music (5074)
Detailing Death and The Donald
Deaths in [current year] always features high on these lists because, funnily enough, people keep dying. However, the notion that more celebrities died this year, whether true or not, means this Wikipedia entry takes the top spot in terms of the number of edits.
Most of the rest of the Top 10 is dominated by politics, and the U.S. presidential election in particular. This was one of the bloodiest elections most of us have ever witnessed, and it ended with Donald Trump elected to be the next President of the United States of America.
When Wikipedia Editors Attack
One article guaranteed not to appear on this list is the Wikipedia entry for MakeUseOf. Why? Because Wikipedia deleted us in October, alongside a number of other notable websites. And all because of a single editor on a mission to purge the online encyclopedia of technology blogs.
What are your thoughts on the list of more edited Wikipedia articles of 2016? Are you surprised by any of the Top 10? Or do they fit in with your expectations? What Wikipedia entries do you think will prove popular in 2017? Please let us know in the comments below!
Image Credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr