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Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/April 14 to 20, 2013

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Top 25 Report: Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (April 14 – April 20 2013)

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Summary: It was a dark week. In the wake of the attacks on Boston, users sought out background to make sense of an apparently senseless tragedy. From the war-torn region from which both the (suspected) bombers hailed to the string of apparently unrelated ricin attacks that fell in the same few days, Wikipedia was a port of call for those seeking information. In lighter news, the Jackie Robinson biopic 42 continued to spark interest in the pioneering sportsman, while Tom Cruise's new movie was listed.

For the week of April 14 to 20, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the 5,000 most trafficked pages* were:

Rank Last Wks Article Views Notes
1 Chechnya 1,816,643
This ruined Russian republic became destination #1 for Wikipedia users when it was revealed to be Boston bombings suspects' ethnic homeland.
2 Leonhard Euler 1,569,643
It is always interesting to see which Google Doodle will spark the public's imagination. The surge of interest in this 18th century mathematician (inventor of the term f(x) and populariser of the symbol π) shows that the general public, or at least the Wikipedia-reading segment thereof, is not as willfully ignorant as one might think.
3 - - 2013 Boston Marathon bombings 1,316,401
The topic of the week. No contest. In fact, it would've had two entries on the list if we counted the 600k views by the redirect Boston Marathon bombings.
4 - - Ricin 1,156,053
This horrifyingly toxic substance (made from castor beans, no less) made waves when a series of letters posted to public figures were revealed to contain traces of it. Though apparently not related to the Boston bombing, it certainly contributed to the climate of terror that dominated the week.
5 1 2 Margaret Thatcher 683,444
The funeral of this hugely influential (and controversial) British Prime Minister kept interest in her high this week
6 - - 420 (cannabis culture) 647,578
This curious "holiday", which falls on April 20 (for obvious reasons) refers to the mysterious number 420 and its long link to marijuana usage. While it may not quite be to cannabis what Oktoberfest is to beer, it no doubt aspires to be.
7 11 - Oblivion (2013 film) 565,359 Tom Cruise proved he still has drawing power when his post-apocalyptic scifi thriller opened top of the weekend with $37.05 million.
8 - - Defiance (TV series) 529,849 Syfy's science-fiction/Western/alien invasion mashup piqued much interest despite "meh" reviews.
9 5 7 Game of Thrones 511,109 This epic fantasy TV series launched its third season on March 31, and has seen its ratings almost double on its premiere episode.
10 7 15 Facebook 469,753 A perennially popular article.
11 9 25 Deaths in 2013 492,897 The lists of deaths in the current year is always a quite popular article.
12 - - Oklahoma City bombing 437,299
The bombing in Boston stirred memories of the last time Americans were attacked by their own citizens.
13 - - Adam Scott (golfer) 419,980
Australian golfer who won the 2013 Masters in dramatic style.
14 Boston Marathon 411,370
probably would have made the list anyway, but no doubt higher due to the tragedy.
15 - - Marcus Licinius Crassus 406,980
Interest in this Roman political figure (onetime financial backer of Julius Caesar and widely considered the richest man in Roman history) was no doubt spurred by his starring role in Spartacus: War of the Damned.
16 - - Daft Punk 399,948
This robot-helmet-wearing, cyberpunk-infused electronic music duo released their long-awaited new single "Get Lucky."
17 7 Google 393,836 A perennially popular article
18 2 Jackie Robinson 381,448
National hero and athletic pioneer, Robinson's popularity was no doubt reignited by his surprise hit biopic, 42.
19 Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act 367,100 Otherwise known as CISPA, this hugely controversial act passed the US Congress with little comment from the media, despite its potentially dramatic impact on personal privacy.
20 13 27 World War II 403,144 Another perennially popular article. (The 16th most popular article from 2010–12, in fact, see Table 2 here.)
21 12 2 Game of Thrones (season 3) 357,290 see #10 above
22 Macklemore 350,310
Popular singer returning the top 25, though nearly always in the top 50
23 - Spartacus 344,604
The revolting Roman slave is the other side of the coin vis a vis Spartacus: War of the Damned
24 - - Chechen people 341,598
Another attempt to explore the bombing in more depth, here looking at the tragic history of the Chechens themselves.
25 - - Chi Cheng (musician) 341,386
The former Deftones bassist and occasional poet, who for the last five years lived in a semi-comatose state caused by a car crash, died of cardiac arrest at the age of 42.
  • This list is derived from the WP:5000 report. It excludes the Wikipedia main page (and "wiki"), non-article pages, and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish. Standard removals this week include:
    • G-force; this has been in the Top 25 since the list was started at the beginning of the year. The continuing popularity of this article, which jumped in June 2012, has been without explanation. Articles on popular scientific concepts get nowhere this level of viewing based on our analysis to date, e.g., Gravitation (49,516 views from March 3–9), and therefore we have decided to remove it from the list as most likely caused by non-human views.
    • Cat anatomy; explanation still unknown for its continuing high view counts

Specific removals this week (those articles for which no reason for any sudden popularity could be located):