# Canonical recap data for Wikipedia Launched (2001)
# Source: https://recap.at/2001/wikipedia-launch
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: wikipedia-launch
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2001/wikipedia-launch"
title: Wikipedia Launched
aliases:
- Wikipedia launch
- January 15, 2001
- Wiki encyclopedia
subtitle: Free collaborative encyclopedia democratized knowledge access; redefined information production and epistemology.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2001-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2001
decade: 2000
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: 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 organiza
summaryLong: 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.
lede: 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.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/English_Wikipedia_HomePage_2001-12-20.png/1280px-English_Wikipedia_HomePage_2001-12-20.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia users; resurrected by Meow · via Wikipedia
importance: 88
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Launch date
  value: January 15, 2001
- label: Co-founders
  value: Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger
- label: Software platform
  value: MediaWiki
- label: Hosting transition
  value: Moved to Wikimedia Foundation in 2003
- label: Initial language
  value: English
- label: Founding model
  value: Volunteer-written and community-edited
timeline:
- date: 2001-01-15
  title: Wikipedia launches
  description: Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launch Wikipedia as a free online encyclopedia written collaboratively by volunteers using wiki software.
- date: 2001-03-01
  title: First non-English Wikipedia
  description: Wikipedia expands beyond English with the launch of the German language edition.
- date: 2002-01-01
  title: Rapid language expansion
  description: Wikipedia reaches multiple language editions as volunteer communities form around the world.
- date: 2003-06-01
  title: Wikimedia Foundation established
  description: Wikipedia is transferred to the newly created Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining the project.
- date: 2004-12-01
  title: One million articles milestone
  description: English Wikipedia reaches one million articles, demonstrating the scale of volunteer contribution.
- date: 2005-06-01
  title: Featured articles program established
  description: Wikipedia implements quality control mechanisms to ensure reliability and accuracy of featured content.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia"
  title: Wikipedia
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: 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.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- open_source_release
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger launched Wikipedia on January 15, 2001, creating the first free, crowdsourced online encyclopedia.
wikidataQid: Q52
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The New York Times
  publisherSlug: the-new-york-times
  headline: A Site That Aims to Be All Things to All Readers
  publishedAt: 2001-09-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 75
  type: newspaper
  region: United States
- publisher: Wired Magazine
  publisherSlug: wired-magazine
  headline: The Wisdom of Crowds Takes On the Encyclopedia Britannica
  publishedAt: 2001-10-15
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.wired.com
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 72
  type: magazine
  region: United States
- publisher: BBC Online
  publisherSlug: bbc-online
  headline: Internet Users Build Free Encyclopedia
  publishedAt: 2001-10-03
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - news.bbc.co.uk
  excerpt: "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."
  significance: 68
  type: tech_press
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: ZDNet
  publisherSlug: zdnet
  headline: "Open Source Meets Open Content: Wikipedia Launches"
  publishedAt: 2001-09-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - zdnet.com
  excerpt: 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.
  significance: 65
  type: tech_press
  region: United States
