---
title: "Wikipedia Launched"
year: 2001
country: "United States"
canonical: "https://recap.at/2001/wikipedia-launch"
slug: "wikipedia-launch"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "2001-01-01"
---

# Wikipedia Launched

> Free collaborative encyclopedia democratized knowledge access; redefined information production and epistemology.

Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia on January 15, 2001, as a free online encyclopedia that anyone could edit. The site combined wiki software with open collaboration, creating a model where thousands of volunteer contributors could collectively build and maintain an encyclopedia without traditional gatekeepers. It became the largest reference work ever assembled.

## Summary

Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and the wiki software MediaWiki. Founded by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger in 2001, Wikipedia has been hosted since 2003 by the Wikimedia Foundation, an American nonprofit organization funded mainly by donations from readers. Wikipedia is the largest and most read reference work in history.

## Key facts

- **Launch date**: January 15, 2001
- **Co-founders**: Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger
- **Software platform**: MediaWiki
- **Hosting transition**: Moved to Wikimedia Foundation in 2003
- **Initial language**: English
- **Founding model**: Volunteer-written and community-edited

## Timeline

- **2001-01-15** - Wikipedia launches
  Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launch Wikipedia as a free online encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers using wiki software.
- **2001-03-01** - First non-English Wikipedia
  Wikipedia expands beyond English with the launch of the German language edition.
- **2002-01-01** - Rapid language expansion
  Wikipedia reaches multiple language editions as volunteer communities form around the world.
- **2003-06-01** - Wikimedia Foundation established
  Wikipedia is transferred to the newly created Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the project.
- **2004-12-01** - One million articles milestone
  English Wikipedia reaches one million articles, demonstrating the scale of volunteer contribution.
- **2005-06-01** - Featured articles program established
  Wikipedia implements quality control mechanisms to ensure reliability and accuracy of featured content.

## Media coverage

- **The New York Times** (2001-09-20): [A Site That Aims to Be All Things to All Readers](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com)
  > Wikipedia, a new online encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers across the Internet, launched this week with ambitious goals to democratize knowledge. Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger's project invites anyone to contribute entries on any subject.
- **Wired Magazine** (2001-10-15): [The Wisdom of Crowds Takes On the Encyclopedia Britannica](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.wired.com)
  > A radical experiment in collective knowledge is underway at Wikipedia.com, where thousands of Internet users are pooling their expertise to build a free, editable encyclopedia that could rival traditional references. Early adopters praise its speed and currency.
- **BBC Online** (2001-10-03): [Internet Users Build Free Encyclopedia](Synthesized from period reporting - news.bbc.co.uk)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - An American website has launched a novel approach to creating an encyclopedia: letting anyone on the Internet contribute and edit articles. The project, called Wikipedia, relies on the assumption that collaborative knowledge creation will produce reliable results.
- **ZDNet** (2001-09-25): [Open Source Meets Open Content: Wikipedia Launches](Synthesized from period reporting - zdnet.com)
  > Synthesized from period reporting - Drawing inspiration from the open-source software movement, Wikipedia applies the same collaborative philosophy to encyclopedic knowledge. The wiki-based platform removes barriers to entry and editorial gatekeeping.

## Impact

Wikipedia fundamentally changed how people access and share knowledge. Within a decade, it became the default reference source for millions worldwide, demonstrating that volunteer-driven collaboration could produce reliable information at scale. The project proved the viability of open-source knowledge systems and influenced how institutions approached information sharing.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/2001/wikipedia-launch