Wikipedia Celebrates 25 Years with Global Volunteer Campaign and Tech Evolution

Wikipedia marked its 25th anniversary on January 15, 2026, celebrating a quarter century as the world's largest online encyclopedia. Founded by Jimmy Wales in 2001, it operates through a global community of about 250,000 volunteer editors who maintain content with standards of neutrality and reliability. The Wikimedia Foundation launched a year-long campaign including a docuseries highlighting diverse volunteers, such as an Indian doctor who shared COVID-19 information. Wikipedia has evolved technologically, supporting billions of monthly visits and integrating with AI tools to assist editors and users worldwide.