Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/April 7 to 13, 2024

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (April 7 to 13, 2024)

Prepared with commentary by Igordebraga, Rahcmander, Boyinaroom, Vestrian24Bio and Bucket of sulfuric acid.

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A list that opens and closes on criminals, with sports and escapism in-between to remind us life isn't that grim.

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	O. J. Simpson	4,021,730	If Orenthal James Simpson had died on April 10, 1994, shortly after the release of Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, he would've gone relatively young at 46, but leaving behind a good legacy as both an American football player inducted in the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame and an actor. Instead two months later he was arrested accused of murdering his ex-wife (#7) and a friend of hers (#18), and even if he was acquitted in a trial-turned-media circus (#8), Simpson couldn't ensure the blemish on his reputation being "possible criminal" once he actually went to jail for stealing from a Vegas casino in 2007. In short, when "The Juice" died on April 10, 2024 of prostate cancer, there was an excuse for informal if not outright disrespectful eulogies (while acknowledging his children and grandchildren's requests to "please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.").
2	Indian Premier League	2,608,607	As the top rivalries (except MI v CSK) of IPL at #5 took place in the past week, it brought more people to its articles.
3	WrestleMania XL	2,557,335	Normally WWE's premier event tops the Report, but with a big death and another week not excluding the IPL in spite of high mobile views, they had to settle for third in 2024.
4	Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024	2,254,760	The #9 happened last Monday brought more people's attention as it's the first Total solar eclipse for Canada since 1979, for Mexico since 1991 and for United States since 2017. The next total solar eclipse visible in the US will be in 2033 over Alaska, and the next total solar eclipse visible in the lower 48 states of the US will be in 2044. The next total solar eclipse visible in the US with a longer duration of totality will take place in 2045. It's the only solar eclipse in the 21st century (#21) with totality visible in all three of those countries.
5	2024 Indian Premier League	1,659,772	As the top rivalries (except MI v CSK) of #2 took place in the past week, it brought more people to its articles.
6	Fallout (American TV series)	1,640,411	Like The Last of Us, a post-apocalyptic series based on video games. Only this one is on Prime Video, and the disaster was a nuclear war, with the show following a girl who leaves her underground bunker to seek her kidnapped father in the destroyed remains of Los Angeles. Fallout earned much praise for feeling like an extension of the games (#16), including its distinctive retrofuturism aesthetic heavy on atompunk, and has already been renewed for a second season.
7	Nicole Brown Simpson	1,098,507	On June 12, 1994, the second wife of #1 was found dead at her home alongside her friend Ron Goldman, both covered in knife wounds. When LAPD came to his house to notify, they found some suspicious evidence, and by June 17 there was an arrest warrant issued for OJ, who even tried to evade in a Ford Bronco. The trial spanned eleven months, from November 1994, to October 1995, and in spite of the prosecution having a lot in their favor, including the reveal that the marriage had ended amidst accusations of domestic abuse and was followed by Nicole being stalked and harassed, Simpson was acquitted. The impact of the events in culture were big, from making household names out of the defense attorneys Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz and (for all the good this caused) Robert Kardashian, to two high-profile productions in 2016, the Oscar-winning documentary O.J.: Made in America and the Emmy-winning miniseries The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
8	Murder trial of O. J. Simpson	1,055,773
9	Solar eclipse	1,029,599	The Moon stood in front of the Sun last Monday (#4), bringing much attention as it's the first Total solar eclipse for Canada since 1979, for Mexico since 1991 and for United States since 2017.
10	Civil War (film)	969,535	While Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Dune: Part II fell off this list (the latter almost made it at #28), filmgoers were hyped by this dystopian war film by Alex Garland, where the United States are instead divided and disputed between four warring factions.
11	Deaths in 2024	984,893	In the dark of night These faces, they haunt me But I wish you were So close to me...
12	Dawn Staley	949,746	March Madness came to a close, and the college basketball tournament bringing the most attention was the female one. The South Carolina Gamecocks won it all, and the most views didn't come for Most Outstanding Player winner Kamilla Cardoso, but to the team's coach, who did get that award in college, followed that with a professional career that included three Olympic golds and an induction to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and after having success coaching the Temple Owls took over USC in 2008, having since led the team to three NCAA titles.
13	Eid al-Fitr	789,316	With the month of Ramadan having come to an end recently, Muslims all across the world celebrated this religious holiday of "breaking the fast".
14	Cody Rhodes	784,371	#3 saw this wrestler defeat Roman Reigns to become WWE Universal Champion.
15	Dan Hurley	718,206	The coach of the UConn Huskies led them to his second straight March Madness victory. He was also named the Naismith College Coach of the Year and received the Sporting News Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award.
16	Fallout (franchise)	712,946	A series of Western role-playing games concerning a retrofuturistic world recovering from a nuclear war, that started with a computer game in 1997 by Interplay Productions and since 2008 been developed by Bethesda Game Studios. #6 is supposed to be canon to the events of the games, being set a few years after the events of Fallout 4.
17	3 Body Problem (TV series)	640,710	Many readers still seek more on the Netflix sci-fi show based on a Chinese novel.
18	Ron Goldman	631,351	He was stabbed to death on June 12, 1994 alongside his friend (#7). A waiter who had gone to Nicole's home to bring the glasses her mother forgot where he worked, Goldman was likely killed to silence him after he witnessed her murder. #1 was acquitted of the murder in criminal court, but found liable in civil court.
19	Shōgun (2024 miniseries)	628,707	This Sunday this acclaimed FX/Hulu miniseries set in 17th century Japan will air its finale.
20	Zach Edey	626,385	Despite losing the final to the UConn Huskies, the star of the Purdue Boilermakers was still the most viewed player from March Madness this year.
21	List of solar eclipses in the 21st century	618,068	#4 was the only total solar eclipse (#9) in the 21st century to appear in all three countries–Canada, United States and Mexico. There's an annular one in October, only seen in lower South America, and the next total solar eclipse is in 2026.
22	Caitlin Clark	601,616	#12's team ensured the top player for the Iowa Hawkeyes closed, without getting a title, an outstanding college career where she wrecked most of the NCAA record book, instead just repeating the runner-up campaign from last year. Still, Clark's impact was reflected in millions of viewers tuning into the game, and she's expected to be the top pick on the 2024 WNBA draft.
23	UEFA Champions League	600,232	For the football not played by #1 (fun fact: the infamous Ford Bronco chase happened during the opening day of the 1994 FIFA World Cup), the first leg of the 2024 UCL quarterfinals happened during the week, with victories for FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid plus two draws.
24	Eid Mubarak	588,975	During #13 the greeting is this Arabic phrase that means “Blessed feast/festival”.
25	Jennifer Pan	573,767	Keeping off leading lady Ella Purnell from #6, Jennifer Pan is the subject of Netflix true crime documentary What Jennifer Did, about this woman who hired hitmen to have her parents killed, resulting in the death of her mother and injury of her father. The documentary, directed by Jenny Popplewell, interviews police officers and people around Pan and contains footage of the interviews police conducted with Pan.