🎉 Wikipedia at 25: A Quarter Century of Curiosity

Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary. A quarter century of free knowledge, collaboration, and curiosity. Discover its global impact, challenges, and how Wikiwand offers a modern way to read the world’s largest encyclopedia

Published on 1/15/2026 • 3 min read • Last modified 1/15/2026

25 years ago, Wikipedia began as a bold experiment: could the world’s knowledge be written, edited, and maintained by anyone, anywhere? Today, it stands as one of the most visited websites on the planet, a living encyclopedia that has shaped how billions of people learn, research, and satisfy their curiosity.

Launched in 2001, Wikipedia quickly grew from a handful of articles to millions, spanning over 300 languages including my native language বাংলা (Bengali). It became the go-to resource for students, journalists, and everyday learners, offering free access to knowledge that was once locked behind expensive textbooks or subscription services.

In a world where paywalls and advertising have become the norm, Wikipedia’s free, reliable knowledge that anyone can access, share and create is more valuable than ever. It remains one of the most-visited websites in the world.

The five pillars of Wikipedia

1. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia

2. Wikipedia is written from a neutral point of view

3. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can use, edit, and distribute

4. Wikipedia’s editors should treat each other with respect and civility

5. Wikipedia has no firm rules

Still, Wikipedia is confronting a challenging environment. Information integrity is being contested as distrust in media and institutions trends up. Wikipedia’s knowledge is also increasingly being used and consumed by generative AI tools, search engines, social media platforms, and other technologies without attribution. That means that while Wikipedia continues to be a vital source of trusted information, it’s becoming less visible to those who use its content on other websites.

Wikipedia will need your continued support as it looks beyond its 25th anniversary. I invite you to read on to learn a little bit about Wikipedia, its core values, and the volunteers who write it.

Of course, Wikipedia hasn’t been without criticism. Questions of accuracy, vandalism, and bias have followed it since the beginning. Yet its transparent editing history and dedicated community have helped it remain one of the most trusted sources online.

Critics like Elon Musk has publicly accused Wikipedia of leaning toward left-leaning or liberal ideologies, framing it as biased against conservatives. He has even announced an alternative project, Grokipedia, through his company xAI, which he claims will provide more balanced and context-rich information. However Grokipedia is based on xAI’s Grok AI model and doesn’t possess the same trust as human written community based Wikipedia.

Wikipedia’s website still runs on MediaWiki, their open source wiki software. It’s great but lacks modern UI and features. That’s where Wikiwand comes in. Wikiwand is a browser extension that modernize the Wikipedia user interface and adds helpful AI features that allows you to browse Wikipedia.

Wikipedia Wikiwand

Download Wikiwand now to enhance your Wikipedia experience.

Things you can do today to celebrate Wikipedia’s birthday.

1. Visit their birthday website.
2. Wish Wikipedia Happy Birthday through Wikipedia Talk
3. Write about Wikipedia on your personal website and/or social media.
4. Donate to WikiMedia Foundation
5. Read Wikipedia.

If you like Wikipedia consider donating to WikiMedia Foundation