Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/March 18 to 24, 2018

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (March 18 to 24, 2018)

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"People who boast about their IQ are losers"

Prepared with commentary by Stormy clouds

Once again, it is the eminent Stephen Hawking who tops the list in the wake of his death last week. However, the report underneath him is vastly more diverse than last week's iteration, featuring multiple articles connected to the consistently controversial commander-in-chief, a wide array of cinematic entries, a pair of biographical articles driven upwards by biopics, the usual entries from Google Doodles and r/TodayILearned, and, as ever, a spattering of random entries. Time may proceed in an organised and linear fashion, but the viewing habits of Wikipedians are as anarchous and chaotic as a nebula. The list is wildly random this week, celebrating science and cinema, captivated by politics and scandal. It is unquestionably a chaotic report, but it is also, in my view, an engrossing one, tracking the internet's weird and wonderful train of thought over the past week.

Without further unnecessary ado, for the week of March 11 to 17, 2018, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank	Article	Views	Notes
1	Stephen Hawking	1,295,470	Once again atop the list is Stephen Hawking, the seminal scientist of our era. I'll readily admit to shedding a tear at his passing, as a bright star in the scientific community faded. If he was correct, perhaps it became a all-consuming gravitational well. It will be a long time before another pioneer of his ilk, defying physical adversity to excel at physics, presents themselves. He acted as a beacon of hope for those facing challenge in their lives, and it is tragic to see him pass. The swell of Wikipedians attempting to wrap their heads around his phenomenal work in the wake of his death is testament to his importance as an era-defining individual, in Stephen Hawking in popular culture, cosmology, and, of course gambling.
2	Katsuko Saruhashi	967,683	Another scientific pioneer lands near the apex of the Report, courtesy of a delighful Google Doodle. Curious to find out why exactly the Japanese geochemist had usurped the usual Google logo for her 98th birthday, a swarm of users journeyed to her article, reading about her many contributions to the study of Nuclear fallout, and techniques which she ingeniously devised to measure Carbon dioxide concentrations in samples of seawater. It is great to see the fine folks at Better Bing (TM) direct its users to brilliant scientists such as Saruhashi, and allow them to learn about the oft overlooked contributions of female scientist not named Marie.
3	Black Panther (film)	763,191	King T'Challa, dethroned from his perch atop the Report, nonetheless remains in a position of prominence in the minds of Wikipedians. The gargantuan film has garnered upwards of $1.2 billion, become one of the largest box-office draws in recent memory, all while driving Hollywood to document more progressive perspectives in future. Chadwick Boseman's eponymous hero has been a rousing success, with likely long-lasting ramifications for blockbuster fare, and has resonated with those who use Wikipedia royally. Wakandapedia forever.
4	Deaths in 2018	739,496	"Who was the fool, who the wise man, who the beggar or the Emperor? Whether rich or poor, all are equal in death." So goeth the Dance Macabre, and it holds true this week, with the list of the fallen captivating cruelly as ever. One death of note which resonated with me, and many other Wikipedians, was that of Arnaud Beltrame, the heroic gendarme who sacrificed himself in the Trèbes terror attack. May he rest in peace.
5	Vladimir Putin	601,846	There was an election in Russia (#21). Putin won, channeling both dominance in equine demographics and the devoted support of Fabrika, a girl-group in Russia, to bolster his support. His victory was entirely democratic and undisputed, as his primary political rivals were banned from running, or murdered years ago. Yay for democracy, I guess. As a result of the election, Putin will maintain power for the foreseeable future in Russia, which is a victory for tyrants, and precisely no one else.
6	John R. Bolton	596,964	Following the dismissal of HR McMaster as National Security Advisor, Bolton was appointed by Trump to assume the role. He now steps into a remarkably unsettled Cabinet, which commentators have viewed lately as a revolving door. Hopefully, he can use his platform to advocate for peace and mutual prosperity in the world, for the good of humanity. However, hopes of Bolton fostering a spirit of cooperation are somewhat undermined by his hatred for both the UN and EU, and his vocal support for the Iraq War indicates that his agenda may be aggressive and argumentative, rather than pacific, alas.
7	Fred Rogers	594,387	The neighborhood returned in dramatic fashion to Wikipedia this week, courtesy of the kind folks over at r/TIL, who consistently unearth riveting tidbits of trivia. This week's item, revolves around the children's television host Mr. Rogers, and his interaction with the Supreme Court of the United States in 1979. Rogers defended VCR during a debate to ban it, and his testimony was ultimately considered to be a deciding factor in the decision to permit home entertainment devices in the United States. The greatest gift he ever gave to humanity was his honest self, and it helped save VHS.
8	Cambridge Analytica	592,780	Wrong! This article received at least 1.5 million views. A company which was unknown to the populace until this week exploded emphatically to headlines worldwide, as it emerged that they had misused data procured from Facebook in an effort to try and influence the 2016 election in favor of the Drumpf. This caused outrage, controversy, and confusion in equal measure. This led many to peruse the article about Alexander Nix's (pictured) political strategist company for clarity on the topic, which could have ramifications if it develops further.
9	Annihilation (film)	796,567	Another film on a very cinema-centric iteration of the Report, and a very confusing one at that. Natalie Portman, aside from her amazing rap skills, is also a Harvard graduate. Hopefully, she can explain the confusing sci-fi thought-piece that is Annihilation, the latest from Alex Garland. Unlike Ex Machina, this film has been a more divisive affair, having been released to international masses on Netflix a few weeks ago (its studio decided to limit a theatrical release to North America and China). The confounding nature of the dense film has driven many to Wikipedia to try to comprehend the film.
10	Avengers: Infinity War	550,846	The second War to end all Wars, I for one hope that this has a better outcome. A new trailer released for the upcoming superhero film, which reportedly stars everyone, and set the internet abuzz. This film is the culmination of a decade of marvellous flicks, and I for one anxiously await April, when I will journey once more unto the breach and watch the Avengers battle Thanos in a cinematic spectacle for the ages.
11	Saint Patrick's Day	544,752	My national holiday arrived again, dousing rivers and monuments worldwide in a thick haze of green, and rocketing profits of Guinness upwards. This year, the Irishmen had even more to celebrate than usual courtesy of their Six Nations triumph, as the "scummy' Boys in Green defeated the old enemy in their own back yard to secure a historic Grand Slam. The resultant seisiún was the stuff of legend, let me assure you.
12	List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films	469,483	You all know what this is, so I won't bore you with the details. Rather, allow me to identify what I feel are the five best films in the MCU, and save you time as you marathon to prepare for #10. - in no particular order, they are the one with Lego Emmet, the one with the cute baby tree, the first one, the one with a wizarding Sherlock, and finally, the the James Bond film that isn't one. Enjoy!
13	Pacific Rim Uprising	524,842	From the visionary mind behind the critically-acclaimed fish-bestiality flick comes Pacific Rim Uprising, where a Stormtrooping traitor (pictured) follows his Dad's legacy and uses giant robots to pummel Kaiju. The first film, which I did shamefully see in cinemas, would likely have played better as a video game, but did feature a great speech. Judging by the critic's consensus, this one is less of a guilty pleasure.
14	Rajneesh	518,908	The religious leader, infamous for his vocal criticism of Mahatma Gandhi and his reputation as a sex guru, was a prominent religious leader during his lifetime, pioneering the Rajneesh movement. He curried controversy during his lifetime, notably in the wake of a terror attack perpetrated by his followers in an effort to influence an election in Oregon. Rajneesh died in 1990, but returned to a position of prominence in the Report due to Wild Wild Country, a Netflix (who else) biopic depicting his life. Binge watchers have assembled en masse to read up on the subject of the series, propelling his article into the Top 25 for this week.
15	Karen McDougal	513,649	Yet another adulterous storms' a-brewin' for the Commander-in-Chief, and this one relates to Karen McDougal, seen here advocating provocatively against the widespread adoption of HD DVD. It emerged throughout the week that the model went to the biased news media, where she detailed to Anderson Cooper the extent of her alleged affair in 2007 with the incumbent President, while Melania was pregnant. Perhaps the most shocking tidbit in the promiscuous scandal was the revelation that money was exchanged between the duo. Nonetheless, this latest alleged act of infidelity set the internet ablaze, and drove many to the article of McDougal, who comically shares a name with the dumbest fictional priest ever. Some overlap there, given the claims that covfefe.
16	WrestleMania 34	534,488	I have never been interested by wrestling. Even in school, surrounded by avid fans of the WWE, it never engaged me remotely. If I am to watch highly choreographed individually perform bombastically for the entertainment of the audience, it will be ballet set to Swan Lake - here is a nice amalgamation for the curious. Anyway, many on Wikipedia enjoy that which I find irritating, propelling spectacles like WrestleMania to the Report. With this year annualised iteration set to take place on April 8, anticipation, and by proxy views on Wikipedian, is building.
17	Andrew Cunanan	456,657	Cunanan was an infamous serial killer, most famous as the assassin of Gianni Versace. He is currently the subject of The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, where he is brilliantly portrayed by Glee-alumnus Darren Criss. The show continues to direct curious TV-addicts to Wikipedia to research the infamous murder that left the fashion designer on the floor, and the infamous man behind it.
18	Raid (2018 film)	440,692	Another film here, albeit a Bollywood production. The crime drama, based, as the title suggests, on a criminal raid of the Indian Revenue Service during the 1980s, released last week to positive reception, and despite not starring Aamir, Salman, or Shah Rukh (a glaring omission), but Ajay Devgn (pictured) it has collected a reasonable amount of crore at the box office.
19	Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home	410,848	Tragically, a story that originates a little closer to home for this Hibernophile, and a dark one at that. The Bon Secours, for the uninitiated, was an institution operated by the Catholic Church in Tuam, Co. Galway. As the name implies, it hosted women as they gave birth. Archaeologists two years ago unearthed hundreds of dead babies, buried beneath the site, which indicated that through neglect, as many as one-third of babies born in the hospital died in their infancy. (like I said, grim). This was chalked up as yet another abuse of Church power in Ireland.
20	Exo (band)	446,954	I have had minimal exposure to K-pop to be perfectly frank, but have been reliably informed by my Eastern amigos that it is entertaining. Exo are at the forefront of the medium at present, buoyed by an eye-catching appearance at the Snolympics in Pyeongchang, and are set to storm the States with their unique brand of music. Their continued popularity amongst the purveyors of Wikipedia is perhaps testament to this burgeoning growth. Let's see if they can compare to everyone's favorite dancing gentleman.
21	Russian presidential election, 2018	399,775	There was a presidential election in Russia last Sunday. In a positively shocking twist of events, the sexiest ex-KGB officer retained his iron grip on power, proving that despotism is alive and well in the former USSR. What was more surprising was the decision of Donald Trump to publicly shower praise on Putin for his victory, which dutifully got the Fake News media in a tizzy. Almost as if the Don and PutiePie are good friends.
22	Fortnite	385,670	I am an avid gamer, yet I have failed to catch this new battle royale building bug. Having extensively played both games, I for one consider Epic's newest behemoth to be a poor-man's (literally) PUBG, and a far cry from their previous gory machismo heights. However, concurrent player counts don't lie, and this free to play title has stormed the world, and utterly captivated the internet, recently transitioning to iOS, and stirring fears on Good Morning America about video game addiction. Not bad for an add-on mode to a game originally billed as Minecraft meets State of Decay.
23	Ted Kaczynski	363,936	The infamous Unabomber returned to the minds of the internet this week due to the bombings in Austin, which shared a shockingly similar modus operandi to Kaczynski's crimes. Mark Conditt used the postal service to deliver death to two people in the Texan capital, copying tactics deployed by the Unabomber decades earlier. These incidents acted to remind users of Kaczynski, sending them en masse to his article wherein they had information dispatched to them. (I'm sorry)
24	The Last Ringbearer	361,773	Do you remember Lord of the Rings? Do you miss the cinematic joy of Peter Jackson's magnum opus and long for the opportunity to be transfixed by non-Martinian fantasy once again? Are you willing to engage with such content in Russian? If so, my weird, weird friend, I have good news for you. r/TIL unearthed a Russian variant on Tolkien's masterpiece, which recounts the "true" stories of the Wars of the Ring, where Gandalf and his cabal fought to suppress the orcs as they developed industrially and economically. They shalt not pass...the economic milestones needed for growth to a developed economy??? Fun fan-fiction, I guess.
25	Nowruz	344,860	This is the New Year celebration for the Persian calendar, falling on 20 March this year. It is celebrated as a religious holiday by Zoroastrians, and widely recognised as a secular holiday throughout Iran and Central Asia. Tables are decorated during the Haft Seen, and the family gathers to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Seems to be a hoot to me, and it piqued the interest of many readers here, evidently, just earning it the final spot on the Report.

Exclusions

This list excludes the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish.
Per agreed consensus, XXX (franchise) is excluded.

Note: If you came here from the Signpost article, please take any discussion of exclusions to this article's talk page.