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It is a big day for Wikipedia: We are getting a new look! 🎉 For the first time in 10+ years, and during our 22nd birthday month, a series of updates to English Wikipedia’s desktop will make the site more welcoming and easier to use for everyone! Explore the changes🧵⬇️ (1/9)

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On the grounds of a demolished villa in Tuscany, Italy, you can find the Apennine Colossus — a giant stone statue constructed in the late 1580s. The structure depicts an elderly man crouched at the shore of a lake. It is 30 meters (98 ft) high. w.wiki/_wn52

In the forefront, a massive stone statue of a bearded man crouching with one hand on the ground. Trees are in the background.

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Jan 27

Call it a belated holiday gift. 🎁

@depthsofwiki

shares a few tips on how to start editing Wikipedia. 🧵⬇️

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depths of wikipedia

@depthsofwiki

Dec 27, 2022

It's the liminal Christmas/NYE week, arguably the best time to edit Wikipedia. Here are a few ways to get started if you're a new!!

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Jan 27

On this day in 1880, Thomas Edison received the patent for his incandescent lamp. However, it took several more months for Edison and his team to discover the best filament for long-lasting light: carbonized bamboo, which could last over 1,200 hours.💡 w.wiki/3qS5

Article of the week. A light bulb in the dark.

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Jan 26

Before social media filters, there were Victorian headless portraits. In late 19th century Britain, a photo trend portrayed a model's head separated from the body. The sitter would often be holding their head. w.wiki/6Fxz

Portrait of a young boy. There is nothing above his neck, as he is holding his own head in front of his chest.

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Jan 25

Known in the Philippines as the “Mother of Democracy,” Filipino politician Corazon Aquino was born on this day in 1933. Aquino was the Philippines' first woman president, and an instrumental figure in the process of democratization in the country.

Corazon Aquino - Wikipedia

Jan 24

A cave at the base of the Eternal Flame Falls (a waterfall in New York, US) emits natural gas, which fuels a small flame nearly all year long. Despite its name, the flame can be extinguished and must occasionally be re-lit. w.wiki/5u9Y 📷 Mpmajewski, CC BY-SA 3.0

A close-up of the gas-lit flame below Eternal Flame Falls.

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Jan 23

Stella Chiweshe was a Zimbabwean musician known internationally for her singing and playing of the mbira dzavadzimu, a traditional instrument of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. She was one of few women players, and learned to play when other women did not. w.wiki/6Fka

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Lucy Moore

@lucyajmmoore

Jan 23

Stella Chiweshe died a couple of days ago, and in a flurry of weekend editing, she is now listed in the 'Recent Deaths' on @wikipedia's front page en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Ch

Screenshot of Recent deaths line, which includes Stella Chiweshe, Sal Bando, Chris Ford, Harunata, Lupe, Muhammed Prakosa

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Screenshot of In The News Section of Wikipedia the box is blue and lists various topical stories. The lead is Chris Hopkins who will succeed Jacinta Ardern. The Recent Deaths section is right at the bottom.

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Screenshot of top of Stella Chiweshe's Wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stella_Chiweshe?wprov=sfla1 - her photo is at the top which shows an older black woman smiling with her eyes closed together. She's wearing glasses and what looks to me like a headwrap, but it might be traditional headwear that I don't know the name of

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2022 as you saw it on Wikipedia

Jan 23

Guess who made a last-minute jump to the #10 spot in the list of our most-read articles of 2022? Lionel Messi! The article about the captain of Argentina’s World Cup-winning football team was viewed over 5 million times in the last week of the tournament.

wikimediafoundation.org

It has been a long year dominated by news headline after news headline. The Russian government invaded Ukraine. Queen Elizabeth II died. Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. The World Cup. Everything surro…

Jan 22

Yo-yos have been around for a while: This Greek vase painting from 440 BC shows a boy playing with one. Greek records from that period describe toys made out of wood, metal, or painted terra cotta and used as offerings to gods when a child came of age. w.wiki/_yVt2

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Jan 22

Happy Lunar New Year! And welcome to the Year of the Rabbit... or the Year of the Cat or Mousedeer, depending on which calendar you reference: w.wiki/6FAU 📷 Michael Elleray, CC BY 2.0

Traditional Chinese New Year fireworks over Victoria Harbour, in Hong Kong, in 2012.

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Jan 20

Any guesses? 🎙️

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Derek Kinsman

@derekkinsman

Jan 6

I would like a variant of Wordle, but instead it's "name this band based on the @Wikipedia band members chart but with the members' names removed." This idea is given away freely to anyone who wants to make it.

Wikipedia "band members" chart. It is intentionally missing the band members, and thus obfuscating what band it might be.

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Jan 20

The oldest verified living person died this week. Lucile Randon was 118 years and 340 days old when she passed away. She was also the oldest known survivor of the COVID-19 pandemic, having tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 a month before her 117th birthday. w.wiki/6Ejc

Article of the Week. Black and white portrait of a young Lucile Randon.

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Jan 19

Fifteen years from now, a bug known as “the year 2038 problem” is expected to cause issues in representing time for certain computer systems. If left unaddressed, these devices will not handle values of time past 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038. w.wiki/hsf

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Wikipedia getting a UX update is one of my highlights this year 🥰♥️

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Search experience An improved search experience, which now leverages images and descriptions, makes it easier to find articles on Wikipedia, leading to a 30 percent increase in user searches based on testing. (5/9)

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Huh. These changes make a lot of sense. Nothing extreme and it all still feels like Wikipedia. Color me impressed.

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It is a big day for Wikipedia: We are getting a new look!

For the first time in 10+ years, and during our 22nd birthday month, a series of updates to English Wikipedia’s desktop will make the site more welcoming and easier to use for everyone! Explore the changes

(1/9)

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🚀 First

design update in a decade! Read more: wikimediafoundation.org/wikipedia-desk

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Notice anything new on English

Explore Wikipedia’s New Look

today? For the first time in 10+ years, the site's desktop is new. A series of features (developed by

@wikimedia

in collaboration with Wikipedia volunteers around the world) will make the site easier to use.

wikimediafoundation.org

Wikipedia is the world’s free, collaborative encyclopedia—the largest collection of open knowledge in history. It contains over 58 million articles, written in more than 300 languages by volunteers…

> Oops — the default font-size has not been increased. It is the same size as before. 🙂 Apologies for the confusion!

C'était déjà le meilleur site de tous les temps et un des plus grands accomplissements d'homo sapiens. Avec une UI plus fluide et conviviale, Wikipedia devient franchement jubilatoire ! Merci !

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It is a big day for Wikipedia: We are getting a new look!

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Explore Wikipedia’s New Look

P.S. It may take some time for the new changes to deploy fully and be visible across all of English Wikipedia. If you want to see what the updated desktop looks like now, try this link: w.wiki/6Ede (9/9)

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The new features, which start rolling out on English Wikipedia today, were built in collaboration with Wikipedia volunteers worldwide. Learn more about the new look, and share your feedback. ⬇️ (8/9)

wikimediafoundation.org

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➡️ Updated header When you are logged in to Wikipedia, the updated header will move with you as you scroll. You will no longer need to scroll to the top of the page to find what you are looking for, and you can focus on reading and editing instead. (7/9)

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➡️ Collapsible sidebar A new collapsible sidebar allows you to collapse the lengthy menu found on the left side of each article, helping you see the information you need without distraction. (6/9)

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➡️ Search experience An improved search experience, which now leverages images and descriptions, makes it easier to find articles on Wikipedia, leading to a 30 percent increase in user searches based on testing. (5/9)

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➡️ Line width and font size Wikipedia articles will now have a maximum line width, which supports a more comfortable reading experience and better retention of the content. The default font-size has also been increased to make reading long paragraphs more comfortable. (4/9)

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➡️ Language-switching tools More prominently-placed language-switching tools that allow multilingual readers and editors to more quickly find their preferred language and switch between over 300 languages. (3/9)

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➡️ Table of contents The new table of contents helps you know which section you are currently reading and get helpful context. It remains visible as you scroll down the page, making it easier to navigate to various sections. (2/9)

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About 5% of people have regular episodes of sleep paralysis – a state in which a person is conscious but paralyzed while waking up or falling asleep. It is believed that the condition has influenced stories about paranormal events, such as alien abduction.

Sleep paralysis - Wikipedia

Martin Luther King Jr. - Wikiquote

Jan 16

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Today is #MLKDay, a US holiday honoring Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement. To mark the day, read more of King’s most famous quotes.

en.wikiquote.org

Jan 15

Roughly one out of every 1,000 articles is a featured article – which means it is considered one of the best Wikipedia has to offer, as determined by Wikipedia's editors. Celebrate Wikipedia's birthday by reading some of the 6,000+ featured articles. 🎂

Wikipedia:Featured articles - Wikipedia

English Wikipedia was launched on 15 January 2001, exactly 22 years ago. 🎈 #WikipediaDay Since then, more than 6.5 million articles have been created. 🎂📷 JElder (WMF), Valerie Schandl (WMDE), CC BY-SA 4.0.

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It is Earth's most abundant element. It is colorless in the air around you, but presents a pale blue color when in liquid or solid form. It is the essential component of any breathing gas. How much do you know about oxygen?

The attack occurred a week after Lula's inauguration as president and followed several weeks of unrest from Bolsonaro's supporters. Since the English Wikipedia article about the invasion was created on Sunday, it's been viewed over 120,000 times. (2/2)

2023 Brazilian Congress attack - Wikipedia

On 8 January, supporters of the former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, attacked the Supreme Federal Court, the National Congress building, and the Planalto Presidential Palace in the country's capital, Brasília. w.wiki/6DKU (1/2)

Did you know? The 13th day of the month is more likely to be a Friday than any other day of the week. There is at least one Friday the 13th (considered an unlucky day in Western superstition) in every year. In 2023, there are two: today and in October.

Friday the 13th - Wikipedia

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Jan 12

Do you call this a fish or a ghoti? 🐟 “Ghoti” is a creative respelling of the word fish, used to illustrate irregularities in English spelling and pronunciation. Confused? Take a look at the Wikipedia article: w.wiki/6CHA 📷 Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0

A mandarinfish in an aquarium. The fish's body is blue, orange, yellow, and white. Its face has shades of green.

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Jan 11

Keel-billed toucans, the national bird of Belize, are very social creatures. They live in groups and often “play ball” by throwing fruit. While their colorful bill may seem large and cumbersome, it is actually a spongy and hollow bone covered in keratin.

Keel-billed toucan - Wikipedia

Jan 10

Between 1250 and 1500, the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island carved over 900 moai: statues representing idolized ancestors. The tallest moai was almost 10 meters high (33 ft); the heaviest one weighed 86 tonnes (84.6 tons). And they do not have legs.

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Three years ago today, the first death attributed to COVID-19 was confirmed in Wuhan, China. Since then, more than 6.7 million deaths have been confirmed around the world.