Tag Archives: ranks

Charlie Kirk Ranks as Most Read Article on Wikipedia in 2025

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The Wikipedia article on Charlie Kirk became the most read article of the year on the online encyclopedia as users searched for details about conservative activists.

Kirk’s entries were viewed around 45 million times, particularly following his tragic shooting during a college debate on September 10.

While Kirk was already recognized in the U.S. as a co-founder of Turning Point USA, his death captured global attention. According to data from the Wikimedia Foundation, over 40% of the traffic on the most-read English Wikipedia articles in 2025 originated from outside the U.S.

In second place is Wikipedia’s annual compilation of notable deaths. Last year’s most popular item was the notable losses list for 2024.

The third spot featured Ed Gein, the infamous American serial killer highlighted in Season 3 of Netflix’s Monster, a true crime anthology series.

Wikipedia celebrated its 25th anniversary on January 15. Thanks to the efforts of 250,000 volunteer writers and editors, it continues to serve as a trustworthy information source. The entries are based on a few fundamental principles: utilize public and reliable sources, and refrain from publishing personal opinions or novel interpretations.

Additionally, two more U.S. public figures made it into the top five. This marks Donald Trump’s eighth appearance on the annual list, alongside Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV.

Entries related to movies and TV shows consistently feature in the Top 20, largely due to the “second screen” phenomenon, where viewers check their phones while watching films or shows.

Both the Sinners and Superman films made the overall top 10, with Netflix’s show Adolescence reaching 17th place for the year, peaking in views shortly after its release due to the viral success of the tetralogy.

Entries for the acclaimed Apple TV series Severance saw viewings nearly triple from the first season in 2022 to the second season this year. Wikimedia also raised concerns about the growing popularity of movie and TV show summaries on the platform.

U.S. politics accounted for a quarter of the top 20, with Zoran Mamdani’s remarkable run for New York mayor landing him in the top 10, right behind Elon Musk. YouTuber MrBeast also made his debut in the top 20.

Most read Wikipedia pages in 2025

  1. Charlie Kirk, 44.9m page views

  2. Number of deaths in 2025: 42.5 million people

  3. Ed Gein, 31.2m

  4. Donald Trump, 25.1m

  5. Pope Leo XIV, 22.1m

  6. Elon Musk, 20.2m

  7. Zoran Mamdani, 20.1m

  8. Sinner (2025 movie), 18.2m

  9. Ozzy Osbourne, 17.8m

  10. Superman (2025 movie), 17m

  11. Pope Francis, 15.3m

  12. Severance (TV series), 13.9m

  13. America, 13m

  14. Thunderbolt*, 12.9m

  15. Weapon (2025 movie), 11.8m

  16. JD Vance, 11.6m

  17. Adolescence (TV series), 11.6m

  18. Mr. Beast, 11.5m

  19. Cristiano Ronaldo, 10.8m

  20. Fantastic Four: First Steps, 10.8m

Source: www.theguardian.com

Why Hurricane Melissa Ranks Among the Most Powerful Atlantic Storms in History

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Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa captured on October 28

Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo

Jamaica is facing severe impacts from what is possibly the strongest hurricane to hit the Atlantic Ocean. Current forecasts predict up to 1 meter (40 inches) of rainfall. There’s little doubt that global warming has intensified Hurricane Melissa.

According to the authors, the warm waters that sped up Melissa’s intensification are 500 to 700 times more likely due to climate change. Initial assessments by Daniel Guilford and his colleagues at Climate Central, a U.S. non-profit organization, reveal this.

“‘500 to 700 times more likely’ is an astonishing figure,” Guilford stated. “This clearly indicates that the extreme temperatures observed around Melissa would not be feasible without human-induced climate change.”

Tropical storms like Melissa draw their energy from warm ocean waters. The hotter the sea surface, the more water vapor is generated when a storm passes above it. As the warm, moist air rises, the vapor condenses and releases latent heat, warming the air and encouraging further condensation. This process fuels tropical cyclones.

In the central Caribbean, where Melissa rapidly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, sea surface temperatures were 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Fahrenheit) above the October average. Since these extreme temperatures penetrate to significant depths, there is abundant excess thermal energy available in the ocean.

This indicates that sea surface temperatures remain elevated as Melissa churns the ocean and draws up cooler, deeper water. Conversely, if only a thin layer of warm water exists, the storm brings up cold water, cutting off its energy supply.

“A perfect storm continues to build for Hurricane Melissa. The warm ocean has been rapidly strengthening over recent days, and its slow movement may bring additional rainfall as it makes landfall,” stated Lian Archer, a researcher at the University of Bristol in the UK. “Many of these conditions are being exacerbated by heightened heat in the oceans and atmosphere attributable to climate change.”

The combination of powerful winds and extreme rainfall poses a significant risk of severe damage to Jamaica. So far, three lives have been lost as preparations for the storm continue, which is expected to make landfall around 11 a.m. or noon local time.

“This is one of the most troubling scenarios,” remarked Hannah Cloke, a researcher at the University of Reading in the UK. “The entire nation will suffer long-term and potentially permanent damage from this storm, and recovery will require significant effort for those affected.”

Research into past disasters suggests that such events can depress economic growth for decades. While economists propose that quicker recovery or even growth driven by recovery efforts is possible, these notions have generally proven to be overly optimistic.

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Source: www.newscientist.com