popular Wiki of the Day

pWotD Episode 3022: Fuck Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 99,444 views on Sunday, 10 August 2025 our article of the day is Fuck.Fuck () is profanity in the English language that often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested to around 1475. In modern usage, the term fuck and its derivatives (such as fucker and fucking) are used as a noun, a verb, an adjective, an infix, an interjection or an adverb. There are many common phrases that employ the word as well as compounds that incorporate it, such as motherfucker and fuck off.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:58 UTC on Monday, 11 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Fuck on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Danielle.

pWotD Episode 3021: Jim Lovell Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 235,468 views on Saturday, 9 August 2025 our article of the day is Jim Lovell.James Arthur Lovell Jr. ( LUV-əl; March 25, 1928 – August 7, 2025) was an American astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot of Apollo 8, he along with Frank Borman and William Anders, became one of the first three astronauts to fly to and orbit the Moon. He then commanded the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970 which, after a critical failure en route, looped around the Moon and returned safely to Earth.A 1952 graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Lovell flew F2H Banshee night fighters. He was deployed in the Western Pacific aboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La. In January 1958, he entered a six-month test pilot training course at the Naval Air Test Center at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, with Class 20 and graduated at the top of the class. He was then assigned to Electronics Test, working with radar, and in 1960 he became the Navy's McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II program manager. In 1961, he became a flight instructor and safety engineering officer at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and completed Aviation Safety School at the University of Southern California.Lovell was not selected by NASA as one of the Mercury Seven astronauts due to a temporarily high bilirubin count. He was accepted in September 1962 as one of the second group of astronauts needed for the Gemini and Apollo programs. Prior to Apollo, Lovell flew in space on two Gemini missions, Gemini 7 (with Borman) in 1965 and Gemini 12 in 1966. He was the first person to fly into space four times. Among the 24 astronauts who have orbited the Moon, Lovell was the earliest to make a second visit but remains the only returnee who has not walked on the surface. He was a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He co-authored the 1994 book Lost Moon, on which the 1995 film Apollo 13 was based. Lovell was featured in a cameo appearance in the film.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:41 UTC on Sunday, 10 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Jim Lovell on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Joanna.

pWotD Episode 3020: Wednesday (TV series) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 180,079 views on Friday, 8 August 2025 our article of the day is Wednesday (TV series).Wednesday is an American supernatural mystery comedy television series based on the character Wednesday Addams by Charles Addams. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, it stars Jenna Ortega as the titular character, with Gwendoline Christie, Riki Lindhome, Jamie McShane, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White, Emma Myers, Joy Sunday, Georgie Farmer, Naomi J. Ogawa, Christina Ricci, and Moosa Mostafa appearing in supporting roles. Four out of the eight episodes of the first season were directed by Tim Burton, who also was executive producer. The first season revolves around Wednesday Addams, who attempts to solve a murder mystery at her new school.Burton was previously approached to direct the 1991 film The Addams Family and was later involved in a canceled stop-motion animated film featuring the Addams Family. In October 2020, he was reported to be helming a television series, which was later given a series order by Netflix. Ortega was cast in part to represent the character's Latina heritage. Ricci, who had played Wednesday in the 1991 film and its 1993 sequel Addams Family Values, was asked by Burton to join the series in a supporting role. Filming took place in Romania between September 2021 and March 2022.Wednesday premiered on November 16, 2022, and was released on Netflix on November 23 to positive reviews from critics; Ortega's performance received critical acclaim. Within three weeks of release, it became the second-most watched English-language Netflix series. It received two Golden Globe nominations: Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for Ortega. It also won four Primetime Emmy Awards, while receiving nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Ortega. In January 2023, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on August 6, 2025; the second half is expected to be released on September 3. In July 2025, the series was renewed for a third season.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:15 UTC on Saturday, 9 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Wednesday (TV series) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Olivia.

pWotD Episode 3019: Thailand Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 333,468 views on Thursday, 7 August 2025 our article of the day is Thailand.Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Indochinese Peninsula. It is officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam, the official name until 1939. With a population of almost 66 million, it spans 513,115 square kilometres (198,115 sq mi). Thailand is bordered to the northwest by Myanmar, to the northeast and east by Laos, to the southeast by Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the southwest by the Andaman Sea; it also shares maritime borders with Vietnam to the southeast and Indonesia and India to the southwest. Bangkok is the state capital and largest city.Thai peoples migrated from southwestern China to mainland Southeast Asia from the 6th to 11th centuries. Indianised kingdoms such as the Mon, Khmer Empire, and Malay states ruled the region, competing with Thai states such as the Kingdoms of Ngoenyang, Sukhothai, Lan Na, and Ayutthaya, which also rivalled each other. European contact began in 1511 with a Portuguese diplomatic mission to Ayutthaya, which became a regional power by the end of the 15th century. Ayutthaya reached its peak during the 18th century, until it was destroyed in the Burmese–Siamese War. King Taksin the Great quickly reunified the fragmented territory and established the short-lived Thonburi Kingdom (1767–1782), of which he was the only king. He was succeeded in 1782 by Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the first monarch of the current Chakri dynasty. Throughout the era of Western imperialism in Asia, Siam remained the only state in the region to avoid colonisation by foreign powers, although it was often forced to make territorial, trade, and legal concessions in unequal treaties. The Siamese system of government was centralised and transformed into a modern unitary absolute monarchy during the 1868–1910 reign of Chulalongkorn (Rama V). In World War I, Siam sided with the Allies, a political decision made in order to amend the unequal treaties. Following a bloodless revolution in 1932, it became a constitutional monarchy and changed its official name to Thailand, becoming an ally of Japan in World War II. In the late 1950s, a military coup under Sarit Thanarat revived the monarchy's historically influential role in politics. During the Cold War, Thailand became a major non-NATO ally of the United States and played an anti-communist role in the region as a member of SEATO, which was disbanded in 1977.Apart from a brief period of parliamentary democracy in the mid-1970s and 1990s, Thailand has periodically alternated between democracy and military rule. Since the 2000s, the country has been in continual political conflict between supporters and opponents of twice-elected Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra, which resulted in two coups (in 2006 and 2014), along with the establishment of its current constitution, a nominally democratic government after the 2019 Thai general election, and large pro-democracy protests in 2020–2021, which included unprecedented demands to reform the monarchy. Since 2019, it has been nominally a parliamentary constitutional monarchy; in practice, however, structural advantages in the constitution have ensured the military's continued influence in politics.Thailand is a middle power in global affairs and a founding member of ASEAN. It has the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 23rd-largest in the world by PPP, and it ranks 29th by nominal GDP. Thailand is classified as a newly industrialised economy, with manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism as leading sectors.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:38 UTC on Friday, 8 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Thailand on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Geraint.

pWotD Episode 3018: Weapons (2025 film) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 229,093 views on Wednesday, 6 August 2025 our article of the day is Weapons (2025 film).Weapons is a 2025 American mystery horror film written, produced, and directed by Zach Cregger. The film stars Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, Cary Christopher, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Benedict Wong, and Amy Madigan. Its plot follows the case of seventeen children from the same classroom who mysteriously run out of their homes towards an unknown target in the middle of the night, all going missing with no reason why. Soon afterwards, the same force that abducted the children makes residents of the town disfigured and homicidal, with the culprit having to be stopped before time runs out.Weapons is scheduled to be released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on August 8, 2025. The film received widespread critical acclaim.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:57 UTC on Thursday, 7 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Weapons (2025 film) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Aditi.

pWotD Episode 3017: 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 708,271 views on Tuesday, 5 August 2025 our article of the day is 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.The Tiananmen Square protests, known within China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, lasting from 15 April to 4 June 1989. After weeks of unsuccessful attempts between the demonstrators and the Chinese government to find a peaceful resolution, the Chinese government deployed troops to occupy the square on the night of 3 June in what is referred to as the Tiananmen Square massacre. The events are sometimes called the '89 Democracy Movement, the Tiananmen Square Incident, or the Tiananmen uprising.The protests were precipitated by the death of pro-reform Chinese Communist Party (CCP) general secretary Hu Yaobang in April 1989 amid the backdrop of rapid economic development and social change in post-Mao China, reflecting anxieties among the people and political elite about the country's future. The reforms of the 1980s had led to a nascent market economy that benefited some people but seriously disadvantaged others, and the one-party political system also faced a challenge to its legitimacy. Common grievances at the time included inflation, corruption, limited preparedness of graduates for the new economy, and restrictions on political participation. Although they were highly disorganised and their goals varied, the students called for things like rollback of the removal of iron rice bowl jobs, greater accountability, constitutional due process, democracy, freedom of the press, and freedom of speech. Workers' protests were generally focused on inflation and the erosion of welfare. These groups united around anti-corruption demands, adjusting economic policies, and protecting social security. At the height of the protests, about one million people assembled in the square.As the protests developed, the authorities responded with both conciliatory and hardline tactics, exposing deep divisions within the party leadership. By May, a student-led hunger strike galvanised support around the country for the demonstrators, and the protests spread to some 400 cities. On 20 May, the State Council declared martial law, and as many as 300,000 troops were mobilised to Beijing.After several weeks of standoffs and violent confrontations between the army and demonstrators left many on both sides severely injured, a meeting held among the CCP's top leadership on 1 June concluded with a decision to clear the square. The troops advanced into central parts of Beijing on the city's major thoroughfares in the early morning hours of 4 June and engaged in bloody clashes with demonstrators attempting to block them, in which many people – demonstrators, bystanders, and soldiers – were killed. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded.The event had both short and long term consequences. Western countries imposed arms embargoes on China, and various Western media outlets labeled the crackdown a "massacre". In the aftermath of the protests, the Chinese government suppressed other protests around China, carried out mass arrests of protesters which catalysed Operation Yellowbird, strictly controlled coverage of the events in the domestic and foreign affiliated press, and demoted or purged officials it deemed sympathetic to the protests. The government also invested heavily into creating more effective police riot control units. More broadly, the suppression ended the political reforms begun in 1986 as well as the New Enlightenment movement, and halted the policies of liberalisation of the 1980s, which were only partly resumed after Deng Xiaoping's Southern Tour in 1992. Considered a watershed event, reaction to the protests set limits on political expression in China that have lasted up to the present day. The events remain one of the most sensitive and most widely censored topics in China.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:52 UTC on Wednesday, 6 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Geraint.

pWotD Episode 3016: Burt Reynolds Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 143,888 views on Monday, 4 August 2025 our article of the day is Burt Reynolds.Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966) and Dan August (1970–1971). He had leading roles in films such as Navajo Joe (1966) and 100 Rifles (1969), and his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972).Reynolds played leading roles in financial successes such as White Lightning (1973), The Longest Yard (1974), Smokey and the Bandit (1977) (which started a six-year box-office reign), Semi-Tough (1977), The End (1978), Hooper (1978), Starting Over (1979), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), Sharky's Machine (1981), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and Cannonball Run II (1984), several of which he directed. He was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.Reynolds was voted the world's number one movie actor from 1978 to 1982 in the annual Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll, a six-year record he shares with Bing Crosby. After a number of box-office failures, Reynolds returned to television, featuring in the situation comedy Evening Shade (1990–1994), which won a Golden Globe Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. His performance as high-minded pornographer Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (1997) brought him renewed critical attention, earning the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, with nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:06 UTC on Tuesday, 5 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Burt Reynolds on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Russell.

pWotD Episode 3015: The Naked Gun (2025 film) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 158,340 views on Sunday, 3 August 2025 our article of the day is The Naked Gun (2025 film).The Naked Gun is a 2025 American action comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and written by Schaffer, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. The fourth film in The Naked Gun franchise, it stars Liam Neeson in the main role, with Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston starring in supporting roles. It follows the son of Lt. Frank Drebin who must succeed in his father's footsteps to prevent the closure of Police Squad.After several years of development, including a direct-to-TV sequel starring Leslie Nielsen and a reboot starring Ed Helms, it was announced that Seth MacFarlane had been hired to develop the project, and he expressed interest in casting Neeson in the main role. Although MacFarlane was hired to direct, Schaffer replaced him after the film was greenlit in October 2022, and Neeson was officially cast in the main role. Anderson was cast in April 2024, and further casting took place the following month. Filming began in Atlanta that month and wrapped in June.The Naked Gun premiered at the SVA Theater in Manhattan on July 28, 2025, and was released in the United States and United Kingdom by Paramount Pictures on August 1, 2025. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $28.5 million worldwide during its opening weekend against a $42 million budget.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:43 UTC on Monday, 4 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see The Naked Gun (2025 film) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Kendra.

pWotD Episode 3014: SummerSlam (2025) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 380,114 views on Saturday, 2 August 2025 our article of the day is SummerSlam (2025).The 2025 SummerSlam, also promoted as SummerSlam: New Jersey, is an ongoing professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It is the 38th annual SummerSlam and takes place as a two-night event on Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, 2025, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and is being held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. Rapper Cardi B serves as the hostess of the event.This marks the first SummerSlam to take place across two nights, which was previously only reserved for WrestleMania since 2020. This is the first SummerSlam to broadcast on Netflix in most international markets after the WWE Network merged under the platform in January 2025 in those areas. This is the third WWE event to be held at MetLife Stadium, after WrestleMania 29 and WrestleMania 35 in 2013 and 2019, respectively. This is the fourth Summerslam to take place in East Rutherford after the 1989, 1997, and 2007 events. The event will also feature John Cena's last appearance at a SummerSlam as an in-ring performer due to his retirement from professional wrestling at the end of 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:08 UTC on Sunday, 3 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see SummerSlam (2025) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Brian.

pWotD Episode 3013: Pamela Anderson Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 196,632 views on Friday, 1 August 2025 our article of the day is Pamela Anderson.Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-American actress, model and media personality. She rose to prominence after being selected as the February 1990 Playboy Playmate of the Month. She went on to obtain the record for the most Playboy cover appearances. Anderson began her acting career on the ABC sitcom Home Improvement (1991–1993, 1997), before receiving international recognition for starring as "C. J." Parker in the drama series Baywatch (1992–1997), which cemented her status as a sex symbol.In 1995, home videos of Anderson with her then husband, Tommy Lee, were stolen and sold as a sex tape, which resulted in a legal fight and made her the subject of controversy. Anderson starred as Vallery Irons in the syndicated series V. I. P. (1998–2002) and as Skyler Dayton in the Fox sitcom Stacked (2005–2006). Her film credits include Barb Wire (1996), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Borat (2006), Baywatch (2017), and City Hunter (2018). She starred in the reality series Pam: Girl on the Loose (2008) and appeared as a contestant on the Dancing with the Stars franchise (2010–2012, 2018).Anderson saw a career resurgence in the 2020s after her 2022 Broadway debut portraying Roxie Hart in the long-running musical Chicago, the 2023 Netflix documentary Pamela, a Love Story (which coincided with the release of her autobiography, Love, Pamela), and the 2024 indie-drama film The Last Showgirl, the latter of which earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.Anderson has supported various charitable causes (particularly animal rights and PETA), and endorses plant-based cooking. She hosts Flavour Network's plant-based cooking show Pamela's Cooking with Love (2025–present). Her plant-based cookbook I Love You: Recipes from the Heart was nominated for a 2025 James Beard Award in the Media:Visuals" category for the work of her photographer, Ditte Isager.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:26 UTC on Saturday, 2 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Pamela Anderson on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Stephen.

pWotD Episode 3012: Sydney Sweeney Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 218,006 views on Thursday, 31 July 2025 our article of the day is Sydney Sweeney.Sydney Bernice Sweeney (born September 12, 1997) is an American actress and producer. She gained early recognition for her roles in Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid's Tale, and Sharp Objects. She received wider acclaim for her performances in the drama series Euphoria (2019–present) and the first season of the anthology series The White Lotus (2021), both of which earned her nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards.In film, Sweeney appeared in Tarantino's Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019) and later took on leading roles in the drama film Reality and the romantic comedy Anyone but You. In 2024, she starred in the superhero film Madame Web, and produced and starred in the horror film Immaculate.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:56 UTC on Friday, 1 August 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Sydney Sweeney on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Niamh.

pWotD Episode 3011: 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 294,947 views on Wednesday, 30 July 2025 our article of the day is 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake.On 30 July 2025, at 11:24:50 PETT (23:24:50 UTC, 29 July 2025), an Mw 8.8 megathrust earthquake struck off the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's far east, 119 km (74 mi) east-southeast of the coastal city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It was the most powerful earthquake recorded since the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, and is tied with the 1906 Ecuador–Colombia and the 2010 Chile earthquakes as the sixth-strongest earthquake ever recorded by seismometers. The earthquake and subsequent Pacific-wide tsunami caused moderate damage and multiple injuries in Kamchatka Krai and Sakhalin Oblast.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:26 UTC on Thursday, 31 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see 2025 Kamchatka Peninsula earthquake on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ayanda.

pWotD Episode 3010: Search engine Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,235,371 views on Tuesday, 29 July 2025 our article of the day is Search engine.A search engine is a software system that provides hyperlinks to web pages, and other relevant information on the Web in response to a user's query. The user enters a query in a web browser or a mobile app, and the search results are typically presented as a list of hyperlinks accompanied by textual summaries and images. Users also have the option of limiting a search to specific types of results, such as images, videos, or news.For a search provider, its engine is part of a distributed computing system that can encompass many data centers throughout the world. The speed and accuracy of an engine's response to a query are based on a complex system of indexing that is continuously updated by automated web crawlers. This can include data mining the files and databases stored on web servers, although some content is not accessible to crawlers.There have been many search engines since the dawn of the Web in the 1990s, however, Google Search became the dominant one in the 2000s and has remained so. As of May 2025, according to StatCounter, Google holds approximately 89–90 % of the worldwide search share, with competitors trailing far behind: Bing (~4 %), Yandex (~2.5 %), Yahoo! (~1.3 %), DuckDuckGo (~0.8 %), and Baidu (~0.7 %). Notably, this marks the first time in over a decade that Google's share has fallen below the 90 % threshold. The business of websites improving their visibility in search results, known as marketing and optimization, has thus largely focused on Google.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:43 UTC on Wednesday, 30 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Search engine on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Salli.

pWotD Episode 3009: Saiyaara Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 261,132 views on Monday, 28 July 2025 our article of the day is Saiyaara.Saiyaara is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language musical romantic drama film directed by Mohit Suri. Produced by Yash Raj Films, it is loosely based on the 2004 Korean film A Moment To Remember. The film follows Krish Kapoor (Ahaan Panday), a troubled musician who forms a deep connection with Vaani Batra (Aneet Padda), a shy poet. Saiyaara was released on 18 July 2025, and received positive reviews from critics, with praise towards Panday and Padda's performances, Suri's direction and the soundtrack. The film was a major commercial success, grossing over ₹372 crore worldwide to emerge as the second highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025, as well as the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:16 UTC on Tuesday, 29 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Saiyaara on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Danielle.

pWotD Episode 3008: Sarina Wiegman Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 312,179 views on Sunday, 27 July 2025 our article of the day is Sarina Wiegman.Sarina Petronella Wiegman (Dutch pronunciation: [saːˈrinaː peːtroːˈnɛlaː ˈʋixmɑn]; born 26 October 1969), also known as Sarina Wiegman-Glotzbach, is a Dutch football manager and former player who has been the manager of the England women's national team since September 2021. She is the first-ever men's or women's manager to reach five consecutive major international tournament finals.In her playing career, Wiegman started out as a central midfielder before moving to defence. In 1989, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she played for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team. Returning to the Netherlands, she joined the women's team of Ter Leede in addition to her job as a physical education teacher. With Ter Leede, she won the Dutch championship and the KNVB Cup once.Wiegman represented the Netherlands from 1987 to 2001. Although she was capped 104 times for her country (which was initially recognised by the KNVB), caps won against non-FIFA-affiliated opponents resulted in her official cap total standing of 99.After retiring in 2003, Wiegman began her coaching career with the women's teams of Ter Leede and ADO Den Haag. In 2014, she became the assistant national coach of the Dutch women's team. In 2016, Wiegman received her full coaching licence and became the first woman to work as coach for a Dutch professional football team. After being appointed as the head coach of the Dutch national team, Wiegman led them to victory at the UEFA Women's Euro 2017. Two years later, the team became runners-up of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. In August 2020, it was announced that Wiegman would manage the England women's national team from September 2021 following the end of Phil Neville's contract. She remained manager of the Netherlands for the Olympics, hoping to bring home a medal at the 2020 Olympics, but the Netherlands were eliminated at the quarter-final stage. She then became the England manager and led the Lionesses to victory at the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 on home soil. It was the first trophy for an English senior team of either gender since the men's team won the 1966 FIFA World Cup. Wiegman won a third successive European title as she coached England to a win at the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:43 UTC on Monday, 28 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Sarina Wiegman on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Matthew.

pWotD Episode 3007: Happy Gilmore 2 Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 573,882 views on Saturday, 26 July 2025 our article of the day is Happy Gilmore 2.Happy Gilmore 2 is a 2025 American sports comedy film directed by Kyle Newacheck, and written by Tim Herlihy and Adam Sandler. It is a sequel to Happy Gilmore (1996). Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Ben Stiller, and Dennis Dugan reprise their roles from the original film while Benny Safdie and Bad Bunny join the film as new cast members.Filming for Happy Gilmore 2 took place in New Jersey from September to December of 2024. It was released onto Netflix on July 25, 2025, and received positive reviews from critics.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 04:01 UTC on Sunday, 27 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Happy Gilmore 2 on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Emma.

pWotD Episode 3006: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 463,457 views on Friday, 25 July 2025 our article of the day is The Fantastic Four: First Steps.The Fantastic Four: First Steps is a 2025 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic Four. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film was directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by Josh Friedman, Eric Pearson, Jeff Kaplan, and Ian Springer. It features an ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Joseph Quinn as the titular team, alongside Julia Garner, Sarah Niles, Mark Gatiss, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Walter Hauser, and Ralph Ineson. In the film, the Fantastic Four must protect their 1960s-inspired retro-futuristic world from the planet-devouring cosmic being Galactus (Ineson).20th Century Fox began work on a new Fantastic Four film following the failure of Fantastic Four (2015). After the studio was acquired by Disney in March 2019, control of the franchise was transferred to Marvel Studios, and a new film was announced that July. Jon Watts was set to direct in December 2020, but stepped down in April 2022. Shakman replaced him that September when Kaplan and Springer were working on the script. Casting began by early 2023, and Friedman joined in March to rewrite the script. The film is differentiated from previous Fantastic Four films by avoiding the team's origin story. Pearson joined to polish the script by mid-February 2024, when the main cast and the title The Fantastic Four were announced. The subtitle was added in July, when filming began and lasted until November 2024 at Pinewood Studios in England, and on location in England and Spain.The Fantastic Four: First Steps premiered at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on July 21, 2025, and was released in the United States on July 25, as the first film in Phase Six of the MCU. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. A sequel is in development.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:43 UTC on Saturday, 26 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see The Fantastic Four: First Steps on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Justin.

pWotD Episode 3005: Hulk Hogan Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 3,037,191 views on Thursday, 24 July 2025 our article of the day is Hulk Hogan.Terry Gene Bollea (; August 11, 1953 – July 24, 2025), better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his work with WWE and World Championship Wrestling. Known for his flamboyance and massive physique, and his trademark blond horseshoe moustache and bandanas, Hogan was widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide, the most popular wrestler of the 1980s and one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.Hogan began his professional wrestling career in 1977, but gained worldwide recognition after signing with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in December 1983. There, his persona as a heroic all-American helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, where he headlined eight of the first nine editions (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9) of the WWF's flagship annual event WrestleMania. Hogan also was a regular headliner of Saturday Night's Main Event and its spin-off The Main Event. During his initial run, he was a five-time WWF Champion, with his 1,474-day reign being the longest of the WrestleMania era ever. He was the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches, winning in 1990 and 1991. His match with André the Giant on WWF The Main Event on February 5, 1988, still holds American television viewership records for wrestling with a 15.2 Nielsen TV rating and 33 million viewers.In 1993, Hogan departed the WWF to pursue a career in film and television. He was lured back to the ring when he signed with rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and holds the record for the longest reign. In 1996, he underwent a career renaissance upon adopting the villainous persona of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, leading the popular New World Order (nWo) stable. As a result, he became a major figure during the "Monday Night War", another boom of mainstream professional wrestling. He headlined WCW's annual flagship event Starrcade three times (in 1994, 1996, and 1997), in which the 1997 edition was the most profitable WCW pay-per-view in the company's history.Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 following its acquisition of WCW the prior year, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for his record equaling (for the time) sixth reign before departing in 2003. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, and inducted a second time in 2020 as a member of the nWo. Hogan also performed for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), where he headlined the inaugural AWA closed circuit supercard, Super Sunday in 1983, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) – where he was the inaugural winner of the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship – and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).During and after wrestling, Hogan had an extensive acting career, beginning with his role in the sports drama film Rocky III (1982). He starred in several other films (including No Holds Barred, Suburban Commando, and Mr. Nanny) and three television shows (Hogan Knows Best, Thunder in Paradise, and China, IL), as well as in Right Guard commercials and the video game Hulk Hogan's Main Event (2011). He was the frontman for the Wrestling Boot Band, whose sole record, Hulk Rules, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:36 UTC on Friday, 25 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Hulk Hogan on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Jasmine.

pWotD Episode 3004: Sharon Osbourne Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 542,966 views on Wednesday, 23 July 2025 our article of the day is Sharon Osbourne.Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is an English and American television personality, music manager, and author. She was married to heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne from 1982 until his death in 2025, and came to prominence while appearing on The Osbournes (2002–2005), a reality television show that aired on MTV, which followed her family's daily life. Osbourne later became a judge on television talent competition shows, including The X Factor (2004–2007, 2013, 2016–2017) and America's Got Talent (2007–2012).Osbourne is credited with reviving her husband's heavy metal career by founding the summer Ozzfest tour, which was held almost annually between 1996 and 2018. In light of her success managing her husband, she branched out into managing other acts, such as Gary Moore, Motörhead, Lita Ford, and The Smashing Pumpkins, through her company Sharon Osbourne Management. From 2003 to 2004, Osbourne hosted her own talk show The Sharon Osbourne Show, which was syndicated to various US channels and also shown in the UK on Sky One. In 2010, she was a contestant on the NBC reality show The Celebrity Apprentice, and became a co-host on the CBS talk show The Talk, hosting until her termination in 2021. In 2022, she joined TalkTV, hosting a prime time show also titled The Talk. In 2024, Osbourne appeared as a celebrity lodger on the twenty-third series of the ITV reality show Celebrity Big Brother.Osbourne has released three autobiographies and two novels. Her first autobiography, Extreme, debuted at number one on the Sunday Times best-seller list.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:29 UTC on Thursday, 24 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Sharon Osbourne on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ruth.

pWotD Episode 3003: Ozzy Osbourne Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 4,196,481 views on Tuesday, 22 July 2025 our article of the day is Ozzy Osbourne.John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (3 December 1948 – 22 July 2025) was an English singer, songwriter and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adopted the nickname "Prince of Darkness".Osbourne became a founding member of Black Sabbath in 1968, providing lead vocals from their eponymous debut studio album in 1970 to Never Say Die! in 1978. The band was highly influential in the development of heavy metal music, in particular their critically acclaimed releases Paranoid (1970), Master of Reality (1971), and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973). Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 due to his problems with alcohol and other drugs. He then began a successful solo career with Blizzard of Ozz in 1980 and released 13 studio albums, the first seven of which received multi-platinum certifications in the United States. He reunited with Black Sabbath on several occasions. He rejoined in 1997 and helped record the band's final studio album, 13 (2013), before they embarked on a farewell tour that ended with a 2017 performance in their native Birmingham.Osbourne sold over 100 million albums, including his solo work and Black Sabbath releases. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024. He was also inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame both solo and with Black Sabbath in 2005. He was honoured with stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Birmingham Walk of Stars. At the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, he received the Global Icon Award. In 2015, he received the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.In the early 2000s, Osbourne became a reality television star when he appeared in the MTV reality show The Osbournes alongside his wife and manager Sharon and two of their children, Kelly and Jack. He co-starred with Jack and Kelly in the television series Ozzy & Jack's World Detour as well as The Osbournes Want to Believe with his wife Sharon and son Jack.On 5 July 2025, Osbourne performed his final show at the Back to the Beginning concert event amid ongoing health issues, having announced earlier in the year that this would be his last live performance, though he intended to continue recording music. Osbourne died seventeen days later, on 22 July 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:20 UTC on Wednesday, 23 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Ozzy Osbourne on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Amy.

pWotD Episode 3002: Malcolm-Jamal Warner Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,908,341 views on Monday, 21 July 2025 our article of the day is Malcolm-Jamal Warner.Malcolm-Jamal Warner (August 18, 1970 – July 20, 2025) was an American actor, musician and poet. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992), which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series at the 38th Primetime Emmy Awards. He was also known for his roles as Malcolm McGee on the sitcom Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000), Dr. Alex Reed in the sitcom Reed Between the Lines (2011, 2015), and Dr. AJ Austin in the medical drama The Resident.In 2015, Warner received a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the song "Jesus Children" alongside Robert Glasper Experiment and Lalah Hathaway.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 20:05 UTC on Tuesday, 22 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Malcolm-Jamal Warner on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Justin.

pWotD Episode 3001: Henry's pocket Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 303,150 views on Sunday, 20 July 2025 our article of the day is Henry's pocket.In animal anatomy, Henry's pocket, more formally known as a cutaneous marginal pouch, is a fold of skin forming an open pouch on the lower posterior part of the external ear. The pocket is situated in the approximate location of the antitragus in the human ear. It occurs in a number of mammalian species, including weasels and bats, but is particularly noticeable on the domestic cat, as well as some dog breeds.It's unknown where the name "Henry's pocket" came from. The earliest known use of the term appears to be from a book "Living Creatures of an English Home" by Olive Royston, although the author's tone indicates the term was already in use, and already of unknown origin.The pocket is of unknown function, and it is unclear if it has any. However, one hypothesis is that it aids in the detection of high-pitched sounds by attenuating lower pitches, especially when the ear is angled, common for a predator when hunting. Since the pocket occurs in a wide variety of mammalian species, it is likely a conserved feature from their common ancestor.The pocket is a common area for parasites to gather, and should be checked during a veterinary examination.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 19:02 UTC on Tuesday, 22 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Henry's pocket on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Aria.

pWotD Episode 3000: I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025 film) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 193,276 views on Saturday, 19 July 2025 our article of the day is I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025 film).I Know What You Did Last Summer is a 2025 American slasher film directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Lansky from a story by Leah McKendrick and Robinson. It is the fourth installment in the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise and the sequel to I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). The film stars Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, and Austin Nichols, with Freddie Prinze Jr., and Jennifer Love Hewitt. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Brandy from the first two films, respectively, appear in cameos. The plot takes place 27 years after the Tower Bay murders, when another hook-wielding killer appears and begins targeting a group of friends one year after they covered up a car crash in which they supposedly killed someone.Plans for a fourth film in the franchise started in 2014, when Mike Flanagan and Jeff Howard signed on to write a reboot with no connection to the previous installments. However, this version ultimately fell through. Following the cancellation of the 2021 television series adaptation, the project was relaunched when Robinson pitched her version to Sony Pictures. The film was put into early development in February 2023, with producer Neal H. Moritz returning. Prinze Jr. and Hewitt were confirmed to be returning in 2024, with the new cast members joining throughout the year. Filming took place between October 2024 and March 2025 in New South Wales and Los Angeles.I Know What You Did Last Summer premiered at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles on July 14, 2025, and was theatrically released by Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on July 18. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It grossed $24.6 million worldwide.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 20:57 UTC on Monday, 21 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025 film) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Emma.

pWotD Episode 2999: Felix Baumgartner Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 278,000 views on Friday, 18 July 2025 our article of the day is Felix Baumgartner.Felix Baumgartner (German: [ˈfeːlɪks ˈbaʊ̯mˌɡaʁtnɐ]; 20 April 1969 – 17 July 2025) was an Austrian skydiver, extreme sportsman, and BASE jumper. He is widely known for jumping to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere on 14 October 2012 and landing in New Mexico, United States, as part of the Red Bull Stratos project. By doing so, he set world records for skydiving an estimated 39 km (24 mi), reaching an estimated top speed of 1,357.64 km/h (843.6 mph), or Mach 1.25. He became the first person to break the sound barrier relative to the surface without vehicular power on his descent. He broke skydiving records for exit altitude (38,969.3 metres), vertical freefall distance without a drogue parachute, and vertical speed without a drogue. Although his name is still attached to the two last records, his exit altitude record was broken two years later, when on 24 October 2014, Alan Eustace jumped from 135,890 feet (41.42 km; 25.74 mi) with a drogue.Baumgartner was also renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he performed during his career. He spent time in the Austrian military, where he practised parachute jumping, including training to land on small target zones. On 17 July 2025, he died in a paragliding accident in Porto Sant'Elpidio, Italy, aged 56.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 19:56 UTC on Monday, 21 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Felix Baumgartner on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Matthew.

pWotD Episode 2998: Connie Francis Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 557,797 views on Thursday, 17 July 2025 our article of the day is Connie Francis.Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (December 12, 1937 – July 16, 2025), known professionally as Connie Francis, was an American pop singer, actress, and one of the top-charting female vocalists of the late 1950s and early 1960s. She was estimated to have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.In 1960, Francis was recognized as the most successful female recording artist in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, and the United States. She became the first woman in history to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" topped the chart in 1960. She was also the first woman to achieve three No. 1 hits on the chart, among her 53 career entries.In 1974, Francis was beaten and raped at knife point at a hotel in Jericho, New York. In the years after the incident, Francis suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. She attempted suicide in 1984 and was in a coma for several days. Two months after her 1962 song "Pretty Little Baby" became viral on social media platforms, including TikTok, Francis died in July 2025, aged 87.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:41 UTC on Friday, 18 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Connie Francis on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Jasmine.

pWotD Episode 2997: Druze Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 197,037 views on Wednesday, 16 July 2025 our article of the day is Druze.The Druze ( DROOZ; Arabic: دَرْزِيّ, darzī or دُرْزِيّ durzī, pl. دُرُوز, durūz), who call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (lit. 'the monotheists' or 'the unitarians'), are an Arab esoteric religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and syncretic religion whose main tenets assert the unity of God, reincarnation, and the eternity of the soul.Although the Druze faith developed from Isma'ilism, Druze do not identify as Muslims. They maintain Arabic language and culture as integral parts of their identity, with Arabic being their primary language. Most Druze religious practices are kept secret, and conversion to their religion is not permitted for outsiders. Interfaith marriages are rare and strongly discouraged. They differentiate between spiritual individuals, known as "uqqāl", who hold the faith's secrets, and secular ones, known as "juhhāl", who focus on worldly matters. Druze believe that, after completing the cycle of rebirth through successive reincarnations, the soul reunites with the Cosmic Mind (al-ʻaql al-kullī).The Epistles of Wisdom is the foundational and central text of the Druze faith. The Druze faith originated in Isma'ilism (a branch of Shia Islam), and has been influenced by a diverse range of traditions, including Christianity, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism, Zoroastrianism, Manichaeism, Pythagoreanism. This has led to the development of a distinct and secretive theology, characterized by an esoteric interpretation of scripture that emphasizes the importance of the mind and truthfulness. Druze beliefs include the concepts of theophany and reincarnation.The Druze hold Shuaib in high regard, believing him to be the same person as the biblical Jethro. They regard Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, and the Isma'ili Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il as prophets. Additionally, Druze tradition honors figures such as Salman the Persian, al-Khidr (whom they identify with Elijah, John the Baptist and Saint George), Job, Luke the Evangelist, and others as "mentors" and "prophets".The Druze faith is one of the major religious groups in the Levant, with between 800,000 and a million adherents. They are primarily located in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, with smaller communities in Jordan. They make up 5.5% of Lebanon's population, 3% of Syria's and 1.6% of Israel's. The oldest and most densely populated Druze communities exist in Mount Lebanon and in the south of Syria around Jabal al-Druze (literally the "Mountain of the Druze"). The Druze community played a critically important role in shaping the history of the Levant, where it continues to play a significant political role. As a religious minority, they have often faced persecution from various Muslim regimes, including contemporary Islamic extremism.Several theories about the origins of the Druze have been proposed, with the Arabian hypothesis being the most widely accepted among historians, intellectuals, and religious leaders within the Druze community. This hypothesis significantly influences the Druze's self-perception, cultural identity, and both oral and written traditions. It suggests that the Druze are descended from 12 Arab tribes that migrated to Syria before and during the early Islamic period. This perspective is accepted by the entire Druze communities in Syria and Lebanon, as well as by most Druze in Israel.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:47 UTC on Thursday, 17 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Druze on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ruth.

pWotD Episode 2996: Fourteen Words Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 314,220 views on Tuesday, 15 July 2025 our article of the day is Fourteen Words."The Fourteen Words" (also abbreviated 14 or 1488) is a reference to two slogans originated by the American domestic terrorist David Eden Lane, one of nine founding members of the defunct white supremacist terrorist organization The Order, and are accompanied by Lane's "88 Precepts". The slogans have served as a rallying cry for militant white nationalists internationally.The primary slogan in the Fourteen Words is,We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children, Followed by the secondary slogan,because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the Earth.The two slogans were coined prior to Lane being sentenced to 190 years in federal prison for planning and abetting the assassination of the Jewish talk show host Alan Berg, who was murdered by another member of the group in June 1984. They were popularized heavily after Lane's imprisonment. The slogans were publicized through print company 14 Word Press, founded in St. Maries, Idaho, in 1995 by Lane's wife, Katja, to disseminate her husband's writings, along with Ron McVan who later moved his operation to Butte, Montana, after a falling-out with Katja.Lane used the 14-88 numerical coding extensively throughout his spiritual, political, religious, esoteric, and philosophical tracts and notably in his "88 Precepts" manifesto. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, inspiration for the Fourteen Words "are derived from a passage in Adolf Hitler's autobiographical book Mein Kampf". The Fourteen Words have been prominently used by neo-Nazis, white power skinheads and certain white nationalists and the alt-right. "88" is used by some as a shorthand for "Heil Hitler", 'H' being the 8th letter of the alphabet, though Lane viewed Nazism along with America as being part of the "Zionist conspiracy".Lane's ideology was anti-American, white separatist, and insurrectionist; he considered loyalty to the United States to be "racial treason" and upheld the acronym "Our Race Is Our Nation" ("ORION"), viewing the United States as committing genocide against white people and as having been founded as a New World Order to finalize a global Zionist government.Being bitterly opposed to the continued existence of the United States as a political entity, and labeling it the "murderer of the White race", Lane further advocated domestic terrorism as a tool to carve out a "white homeland" in the Northern Mountain States. To that end, Lane issued a declaration called "Moral Authority", published through now-defunct 14 Word Press and shared through the publications of Aryan Nations, World Church of the Creator, and other white separatist groups, in which he referred to the United States as a "Red, White and Blue traveling mass murder machine", while asserting that "true moral authority belongs to those who resist genocide".This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:07 UTC on Wednesday, 16 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Fourteen Words on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kendra.

pWotD Episode 2995: WWE Evolution (2025) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 306,217 views on Monday, 14 July 2025 our article of the day is WWE Evolution (2025).The 2025 Evolution was a women's professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was the second Evolution event and took place on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. This was the first Evolution and the first all-women's professional wrestling event to broadcast on both Netflix and Peacock, and the first Evolution since the inaugural 2018 event seven years prior.Seven matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Naomi defeated Rhea Ripley and defending champion Iyo Sky to win Raw's Women's World Championship; this originally started as a singles match between Sky and Ripley, however, Naomi cashed in her Money in the Bank contract during the match, making it a triple threat match. Two matches prior to this, Naomi had lost a No Holds Barred match to Jade Cargill. In other prominent matches, Tiffany Stratton defeated WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus to retain SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship, and Raw's Stephanie Vaquer won the Evolution Battle Royal.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:46 UTC on Tuesday, 15 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see WWE Evolution (2025) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Joey.

pWotD Episode 2994: Carlos Alcaraz Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 865,228 views on Sunday, 13 July 2025 our article of the day is Carlos Alcaraz.Carlos Alcaraz Garfia (Spanish: [ˈkaɾlos alkaˈɾaθ ˈɣaɾfja]; born 5 May 2003) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He has been ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), including as the year-end No. 1 in 2022. Alcaraz has won 21 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including five major titles and seven ATP 1000 titles.Alcaraz began his professional career in 2018 at age 15. He broke into the top 100 of the rankings in May 2021, and ended that year in the top 35 after reaching the US Open quarterfinals. In March 2022, he won his first ATP 1000 title at the Miami Open at the age of 18. Alcaraz won his first major title at the 2022 US Open, becoming the youngest man and the first male teenager in the Open Era to top the singles rankings, at 19 years, 4 months, and 6 days old. Finishing the year as the youngest year-end No. 1 in ATP rankings history, he was named the Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year for his performance that season.In 2023, Alcaraz claimed his second major title at Wimbledon, defeating seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in an epic final. In 2024, he won his third and fourth major titles at the French Open and Wimbledon, followed by a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. He claimed a fifth major title at the French Open in 2025 in another classic final, overturning a two-set deficit to top seed Jannik Sinner.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 10:07 UTC on Monday, 14 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Carlos Alcaraz on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Raveena.

pWotD Episode 2993: Iga Świątek Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 575,861 views on Saturday, 12 July 2025 our article of the day is Iga Świątek.Iga Natalia Świątek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈiɡa naˈtalja ˈɕfjɔntɛk] ; born 31 May 2001) is a Polish professional tennis player. Currently ranked No. 4 in women’s singles by the WTA, she previously held the world No. 1 ranking for a total of 125 weeks. Świątek has won 23 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including six major titles: four at the French Open, one at Wimbledon and one at the US Open; Świątek is the only active female tennis player, and eighth woman ever, to have won Grand Slam titles on all three surfaces. She has also won the 2023 WTA Finals and ten WTA 1000 titles. Świątek is the first Pole to win a major singles title.As a junior, Świątek was the 2018 French Open girls' doubles champion alongside Caty McNally and the 2018 Wimbledon girls' singles champion. She began playing regularly on the WTA Tour in 2019, and entered the top 50 at 18 years old after her first Tour final and a fourth-round appearance at the 2019 French Open. In 2020, Świątek won her first major at the French Open in dominant fashion, losing no more than five games in any singles match. She entered the top ten of the WTA rankings for the first time in May 2021.In early 2022, Świątek surged into dominant form with a 37-match winning streak, the longest on the WTA Tour in the 21st century, becoming world No. 1 in the process. With major titles at the French and US Opens, she finished 2022 as the world's best player. She repeated the year-end No. 1 feat in 2023 by defending her French Open title and claiming the WTA Finals, and won the French Open for a third straight edition in 2024. She has claimed the French Open title at four of her seven appearances at the tournament, having never lost a match before the fourth round. She won her first Wimbledon title in 2025, becoming the first player to win every game in a major final since 1988.Świątek has an all-court playing style. She won the WTA Fan Favorite Shot of the Year in 2019 with a drop shot from the baseline, and was voted WTA Fan Favorite Singles Player of the Year in 2020. In 2023, she was named L'Équipe Champion of Champions and Polish Sports Personality of the Year and included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2025, Świątek made it to the Madame Tussauds Hot 100 list for her philanthropic act and advocacy.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:18 UTC on Sunday, 13 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Iga Świątek on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Arthur.

pWotD Episode 2992: .xxx Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 365,142 views on Friday, 11 July 2025 our article of the day is .xxx..xxx (pronounced "dot triple-ecks" or "dot ecks ecks ecks") is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) intended as a voluntary option for pornographic sites on the Internet. The sponsoring organization is the International Foundation for Online Responsibility (IFFOR). The registry is operated by ICM Registry LLC. The ICANN Board voted to approve the sTLD on 18 March 2011. It went into operation on 15 April 2011.The TLD entered its sunrise period on 7 September 2011 at 16:00 UTC; the sunrise period ended 28 October 2011. Landrush period lasted from 8 November through 25 November, and general availability commenced on 6 December 2011.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:47 UTC on Saturday, 12 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see .xxx on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Salli.

pWotD Episode 2991: Amanda Anisimova Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 777,447 views on Thursday, 10 July 2025 our article of the day is Amanda Anisimova.Amanda Kay Victoria Anisimova ( AN-ihss-ih-MOH-və; born August 31, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles WTA ranking of world No. 12, achieved on 30 June 2025. Anisimova has won three WTA Tour titles, including one WTA 1000 event, the 2025 Qatar Ladies Open.As a junior, Anisimova was ranked as high as No. 2 in the world, and won the 2017 US Open girls' singles title. On the WTA Tour, she rose to prominence at the 2018 Indian Wells Open when she scored her first top-10 victory at age 16, against Petra Kvitová. She won her first career title at the Copa Colsanitas in April 2019 at age 17.Anisimova's breakthrough at the majors came in 2019 at the Australian Open where she reached the fourth round by defeating No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka, one of the leading contenders for the title. At the French Open, she upset Simona Halep, the defending champion and world No. 3, to become the youngest semifinalist at the tournament in over a decade. The next time she reached the fourth round of a major was at the 2022 Australian Open, when she defeated the defending champion, Naomi Osaka. That year, she reached the quarterfinals of the Wimbledon Championships.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:03 UTC on Friday, 11 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Amanda Anisimova on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Joey.

pWotD Episode 2990: Belinda Bencic Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 172,311 views on Wednesday, 9 July 2025 our article of the day is Belinda Bencic.Belinda Bencic (pronounced [ˈbelinda ˈbentʃitʃ]; born 10 March 1997) is a Swiss professional tennis player. She has a career-high ranking of world No. 4 which she achieved in February 2020. Bencic has won nine career singles titles, including a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and two doubles titles on the WTA Tour.A former junior world No. 1, Bencic won two junior major singles titles in 2013 at the French Open and Wimbledon. On the professional tour, she made her top 100 debut shortly after turning 17. Her breakthrough came at the 2014 US Open, where she became the youngest quarterfinalist since Martina Hingis in 1997. Bencic won her first two WTA Tour titles in 2015, including the Canadian Open where she defeated four of the top six players in the world. She then made her top-ten debut the following year aged 18.From 2016 through 2018, Bencic struggled with a variety of injuries, dropping outside the top 300 in the rankings. She then posted her best season to date in 2019: winning her second Premier-5 title at the Dubai Championships, reaching her first major semifinal at the US Open, qualifying for her first WTA Finals (where she reached the semifinals), and finishing the year inside the top 10 for the first time, which helped her win the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award. In 2021, Bencic won her biggest career title by claiming the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, also winning silver in the women's doubles. Following a maternity leave starting in September 2023, Bencic returned to the tour in 2024.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:01 UTC on Thursday, 10 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Belinda Bencic on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Matthew.

pWotD Episode 2989: Superman (2025 film) Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 276,620 views on Tuesday, 8 July 2025 our article of the day is Superman (2025 film).Superman is a 2025 American superhero film based on the eponymous character from DC Comics. Written and directed by James Gunn, it is the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) produced by DC Studios and the second reboot of the Superman film series. David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. The film follows Superman's journey to reconcile his alien heritage with his adoptive human family.Development on a sequel to the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film Man of Steel (2013) began by October 2014, with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role as Superman. Plans changed after the troubled production of Justice League (2017) and the Man of Steel sequel was no longer moving forward by May 2020. Gunn began work on a new Superman film around August 2022. In October, he became co-CEO of DC Studios with producer Peter Safran and they began work on a new DC Universe. Gunn was revealed to be writing the film in December. The title Superman: Legacy was announced the next month, Gunn was confirmed to be directing in March 2023, and Corenswet and Brosnahan were cast that June. The subtitle was dropped by the end of February 2024, when filming began in Svalbard, Norway. Production primarily took place at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, with location filming around Georgia and Ohio. Filming wrapped in July. The film takes inspiration from the comic book All-Star Superman (2005–2008) by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, among others.Superman premiered at the TCL Chinese Theater on July 7, 2025, and is scheduled to be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on July 11. It is the first film of the DCU's Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. It has received positive reviews from critics.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:40 UTC on Wednesday, 9 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Superman (2025 film) on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Matthew.

pWotD Episode 2988: McDonald's Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 396,342 views on Monday, 7 July 2025 our article of the day is McDonald's.McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea.Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald founded McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, in 1940 as a hamburger stand, and soon franchised the company. The logo, the Golden Arches, was introduced in 1953. In 1955, the businessman Ray Kroc joined McDonald's as a franchise agent and bought the company in 1961. In the years since, it has expanded internationally. Today, McDonald's has over 50,000 restaurant locations worldwide, with around a quarter in the US.Other than food sales, McDonald's generates income through its ownership of 70% of restaurant buildings and 45% of the underlying land (which it leases to its franchisees). In 2018, McDonald's was the world's second-largest private employer with 1.7 million employees, behind Walmart, the majority of whom work in the restaurant's franchises.McDonald's bestselling licensed items are their French fries and Big Mac hamburgers; other fare includes cheeseburgers, chicken, fish, fruit, and salads. McDonald's has been subject to criticism for its foods nutrition, animal welfare and low worker wages.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:54 UTC on Tuesday, 8 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see McDonald's on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Matthew.

pWotD Episode 2987: Cameron Norrie Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 396,002 views on Sunday, 6 July 2025 our article of the day is Cameron Norrie.Cameron Norrie (; born 23 August 1995) is a British professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), which he achieved in September 2022. He also has a career-high doubles ranking of world No. 117, attained in June 2022. Norrie has won five ATP Tour singles titles, including an ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2021 Indian Wells Masters, and one doubles title. He has reached one Grand Slam semifinal, at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, in addition to one fourth-round appearance at each of the three other majors. Between October 2021 and June 2024, he held the title of British No. 1 in men's singles.Born in South Africa in 1995, Norrie moved to New Zealand with his family at the age of three and made his junior tennis debut in 2009. In 2013, he began representing Great Britain in pursuit of better funding. Norrie finished his junior career ranked as high as No. 10 in the world. In 2014, Norrie began playing collegiate tennis at Texas Christian University (TCU) and in his final year in 2017, he became the school's first-ever player to finish the season ranked No. 1 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).Shortly after turning professional in 2017, Norrie made his top 200 debut in July after winning his first ATP Challenger title in Binghamton and ended the year with three Challenger titles from four finals. The following season, in May 2018, Norrie broke into the top 100 after reaching his first semifinal on the ATP Tour at the Lyon Open. In January 2019, Norrie achieved his first ATP final in Auckland, which also moved him into the top 70. In 2021, Norrie contended in six ATP finals, including his first at the ATP 500 and ATP Masters 1000 levels, won two titles, and sealed his top 20 debut following his victory in Indian Wells. He continued his momentum into the 2022 season, encapsulated by his rise into the top 10 after claiming two additional ATP titles from four finals and reaching his maiden major semifinal at Wimbledon.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:54 UTC on Monday, 7 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Cameron Norrie on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Joanna.

pWotD Episode 2986: Julian McMahon Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 1,498,104 views on Saturday, 5 July 2025 our article of the day is Julian McMahon.Julian Dana William McMahon (27 July 1968 – 2 July 2025) was an Australian–American actor. He was the only son of Sir William McMahon, a former Prime Minister of Australia. He was best known for his roles as Ben Lucini in Home and Away, Detective John Grant in Profiler, Cole Turner in Charmed, Dr. Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck, Doctor Doom in the Fantastic Four duology, Jonah in Runaways, and Jess LaCroix in FBI: Most Wanted. For his performance in Nip/Tuck, McMahon was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:45 UTC on Sunday, 6 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Julian McMahon on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Amy.

pWotD Episode 2985: Michael Madsen Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 732,299 views on Friday, 4 July 2025 our article of the day is Michael Madsen.Michael Madsen (September 25, 1957 – July 3, 2025) was an American actor. Alongside his frequent collaborations with Quentin Tarantino—Reservoir Dogs (1992), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), The Hateful Eight (2015), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)—he was known for his appearances in films such as WarGames (1983), The Natural (1984), The Doors (1991), Thelma & Louise (1991), Free Willy (1993), Species (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Die Another Day (2002), Sin City (2005), and Scary Movie 4 (2006). He played voice roles in various video games, including Grand Theft Auto III (2001), Narc (2005), the Dishonored series (2012–2017), and Crime Boss: Rockay City (2023). Madsen had seven children, including actor Christian Madsen.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:41 UTC on Saturday, 5 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Michael Madsen on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Ruth.

pWotD Episode 2984: Diogo Jota Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 2,768,382 views on Thursday, 3 July 2025 our article of the day is Diogo Jota.Diogo José Teixeira da Silva (4 December 1996 – 3 July 2025), commonly known as Diogo Jota, was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a forward or left winger. He was known for his finishing, pace, dribbling ability and work rate.Jota started his career with Paços de Ferreira, before signing for La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2016. After two seasons in the Primeira Liga, he was consecutively loaned to Primeira Liga club FC Porto in 2016 and EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. Having helped them gain promotion to the Premier League, he joined the club in 2018 for a reported €14 million and made 131 appearances for them, scoring 44 goals. In 2020, he signed for Liverpool for a fee reported to be £41 million. He played 182 games and scored 65 goals over five seasons for Liverpool, helping them to the Premier League title in 2024–25, one FA Cup and two EFL Cups.As a young player, Jota was a Portugal youth international, representing his country at under-19, under-21, and under-23 levels. He made his senior international debut in November 2019 and was chosen in the squads for the 2022 World Cup and two European Championships (2020 and 2024). He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.Jota and his brother, André Silva, were killed in a single-vehicle road collision in Cernadilla, Spain, on 3 July 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:28 UTC on Friday, 4 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Diogo Jota on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Nicole.

pWotD Episode 2983: Jurassic World Rebirth Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 293,421 views on Wednesday, 2 July 2025 our article of the day is Jurassic World Rebirth.Jurassic World Rebirth is a 2025 American science fiction thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp. A standalone sequel to Jurassic World Dominion (2022), it is the fourth Jurassic World film and the seventh installment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Ed Skrein.Work on the film began shortly after the release of Jurassic World Dominion, when executive producer Steven Spielberg recruited Koepp to help him develop a new installment in the series. Koepp previously co-wrote the original Jurassic Park film (1993) and wrote its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Development of Rebirth was first reported in January 2024. Edwards was hired as director a month later, and casting commenced shortly thereafter. Principal photography took place in Thailand, Malta, and the United Kingdom from June to September 2024.Jurassic World Rebirth premiered on June 17, 2025, at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, and was released in the United States and Canada by Universal Pictures on July 2. The film received mixed reviews from critics.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:01 UTC on Thursday, 3 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Jurassic World Rebirth on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Arthur.

pWotD Episode 2982: Roman von Ungern-Sternberg Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 249,502 views on Tuesday, 1 July 2025 our article of the day is Roman von Ungern-Sternberg.Nikolai Robert Maximilian Freiherr von Ungern-Sternberg (Russian: Роман Фёдорович фон Унгерн-Штернберг, romanized: Roman Fyodorovich fon Ungern-Shternberg; 10 January 1886 – 15 September 1921), often referred to as Roman von Ungern-Sternberg or Baron Ungern, was a Russian military leader in the Russian Civil War and then an independent warlord who intervened in Mongolia against China. Part of the Russian Empire's Baltic German minority, Ungern was an ultraconservative monarchist who aspired to restore the Russian monarchy after the 1917 Russian Revolutions and to revive the Mongol Empire under the rule of the Bogd Khan. His attraction to Vajrayana Buddhism and his eccentric, often violent, treatment of enemies and his own men earned him the sobriquet "the Mad Baron" or "the Bloody Baron". He was viewed by his Mongolian subjects during his rule as the "God of War".In February 1921, at the head of the Asiatic Cavalry Division, Ungern expelled Chinese troops from Mongolia and restored the monarchic power of the Bogd Khan. During his five-month occupation of Outer Mongolia, Ungern imposed order on the capital city, Ikh Khüree (now Ulaanbaatar), by fear, intimidation and brutal violence against the Bolsheviks, Jews and Chinese. In June 1921, he travelled to eastern Siberia to support anti-Bolshevik partisan forces and to head off a joint Red Army-Mongolian rebel invasion. That action ultimately led to his defeat and capture two months later. He was taken prisoner by the Red Army and, a month later, was put on trial for "counter-revolution" in Novonikolayevsk (now Novosibirsk). He was found guilty after a six-hour show trial, and on 15 September 1921 he was executed.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:45 UTC on Wednesday, 2 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Roman von Ungern-Sternberg on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Olivia.

pWotD Episode 2981: Hess triangle Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 288,058 views on Monday, 30 June 2025 our article of the day is Hess triangle.The Hess triangle is a triangular, 500-square-inch (3,200 cm2) plot of private land in the middle of a public sidewalk at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street in the West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The plot is an isosceles triangle covered by a mosaic plaque that reads "Property of the Hess Estate which has never been dedicated for public purposes." The Hess Triangle is the result of a dispute between the city government and the estate of David Hess, a landlord from Philadelphia who owned the Voorhis, a five-story apartment building. In the early 1910s, the city claimed eminent domain to acquire and demolish 253 buildings in the area in order to widen Seventh Avenue and expand the IRT subway. By 1913, the Hess family had exhausted all legal options. However, according to Ross Duff Wyttock writing in the Hartford Courant in 1928, Hess's heirs identified that a small corner of Plot 55 had been excluded during the city’s seizure of the Voorhis property and subsequently filed a notice of possession. The city asked the family to donate the diminutive property to the public, but they chose to hold out and installed the present, defiant mosaic on July 27, 1922.In 1938 the property, reported to be the smallest plot in New York City, was sold to the adjacent Village Cigars store (United Cigars at that time) for US$100 (equivalent to $2,234 in 2024). Later, Yeshiva University came to own the property, including the Hess Triangle, and in October 1995 it was sold by Yeshiva to 70 Christopher Realty Corporation. Subsequent owners have left the plaque intact. The triangle and Village Cigars shop behind it were placed on sale in 2021.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 15:24 UTC on Tuesday, 1 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Hess triangle on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Danielle.

pWotD Episode 2980: Ilia Topuria Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 463,922 views on Sunday, 29 June 2025 our article of the day is Ilia Topuria.Ilia Topuria (Georgian: ილია თოფურია; born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian and Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the current UFC Lightweight Champion. A professional since 2015, Topuria is a former UFC Featherweight Champion, becoming the first Georgian fighter to win a UFC championship. As of July 1, 2025, he is #1 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 12:00 UTC on Tuesday, 1 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Ilia Topuria on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Raveena.

pWotD Episode 2979: Shefali Jariwala Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 993,026 views on Saturday, 28 June 2025 our article of the day is Shefali Jariwala.Shefali Jariwala (15 December 1982 – 27 June 2025) was an Indian actress and model, primarily known for her work in Hindi music videos, films, and television. She gained widespread recognition with her appearance in the 2002 remix music video Kaanta Laga, which earned her the nickname "Kaanta Laga Girl". She went on to appear in several Hindi films, including a supporting role in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004). Over the years, she featured in multiple reality television shows, such as Nach Baliye 5 and Nach Baliye 7, both alongside her husband Parag Tyagi. In 2019, she participated as a wild card contestant in Bigg Boss 13. She also starred in web series, including ALT Balaji's Baby Come Naa (2018), in which she played the female lead opposite Shreyas Talpade.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 05:56 UTC on Tuesday, 1 July 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Shefali Jariwala on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kendra.

pWotD Episode 2978: Squid Game season 3 Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 531,719 views on Friday, 27 June 2025 our article of the day is Squid Game season 3.The third and final season of South Korean survival thriller television series Squid Game, marketed as Squid Game 3, created for television by South Korean writer and television producer Hwang Dong-hyuk, was released on Netflix on June 27, 2025.The season stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Wi Ha-joon, Im Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Park Sung-hoon, Yang Dong-geun, Kang Ae-shim, Jo Yu-ri, Lee David, and Roh Jae-won. In the season, Seong Gi-hun and the players fight for survival in ever-deadlier games. In-ho welcomes the VIPs while his brother Jun-ho continues the search for the island, unaware of a traitor in their midst.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 04:26 UTC on Saturday, 28 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Squid Game season 3 on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Brian.

pWotD Episode 2977: Mira Nair Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 316,766 views on Thursday, 26 June 2025 our article of the day is Mira Nair.Mira Nair (IAST: Mīrā Nāyar; born October 15, 1957) is an Indian and American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company is Mirabai Films. Among her films are Mississippi Masala, The Namesake, the Golden Lion–winning Monsoon Wedding, and Salaam Bombay!, which received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:02 UTC on Friday, 27 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Mira Nair on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Kendra.

pWotD Episode 2976: 2025 New York City mayoral election Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 470,480 views on Wednesday, 25 June 2025 our article of the day is 2025 New York City mayoral election.The 2025 New York City mayoral election is scheduled to occur on November 4, 2025. The incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams, was elected mayor on the Democratic Party line in 2021, but is seeking re-election to a second term as an independent. He was indicted on federal corruption charges in September 2024 and has faced calls to resign from office. The Department of Justice ordered prosecutors to drop the charges against Adams in February 2025, and the case was dismissed with prejudice in April 2025.Primary elections for the Democratic Party were held on June 24, 2025, with the early voting period beginning on June 14. State assemblymember Zohran Mamdani is the presumptive Democratic nominee for mayor; Mamdani is believed to have prevailed in the primary, which also featured ten other candidates, including former governor Andrew Cuomo, City Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, and former City Comptroller Scott Stringer. The Republican Party nominated Curtis Sliwa, the party's 2021 mayoral nominee.The primary elections were conducted with ranked-choice voting, while the general election will use the first-past-the-post system.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:53 UTC on Thursday, 26 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see 2025 New York City mayoral election on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Salli.

pWotD Episode 2975: Zohran Mamdani Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 323,564 views on Tuesday, 24 June 2025 our article of the day is Zohran Mamdani.Zohran Kwame Mamdani ( zə-RAHN məm-DAH-nee; born October 18, 1991) is an American politician. Mamdani has served since 2021 as a member of the New York State Assembly for the 36th district in Queens. A member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, he was first elected in 2020 after defeating a four-term incumbent and has since been reelected without opposition. Mamdani's legislative priorities in the Assembly have included housing reform, transportation, and energy.In 2024, Mamdani announced his candidacy for mayor of New York City in the 2025 mayoral election. His campaign platform includes support for free city buses, public child care, city-owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on rent-stabilized units, and building affordable housing units. During the Democratic Party primary campaign, Mamdani received several endorsements from prominent progressive politicians, attracting attention for his outspoken views on Israel and Palestine.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:44 UTC on Wednesday, 25 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Zohran Mamdani on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Ayanda.

pWotD Episode 2974: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 360,614 views on Monday, 23 June 2025 our article of the day is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.Shaivonte Aician Gilgeous-Alexander ( SHAY GHIL-jəs; born July 12, 1998), also known by his initials SGA, is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a three-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA First Team member, and was named the NBA Most Valuable Player for the 2024–25 season; that season, he also led the Thunder to their first championship since relocating to Oklahoma City.Gilgeous-Alexander played one year of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats and was selected 11th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2018 NBA draft before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers that same night. In his rookie year, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team before being traded to the Thunder in July 2019.In his first year with Oklahoma City, he was their leading scorer and helped them make the playoffs as a fifth seed. After dealing with injuries the next two seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to his first NBA All-Star Game and was voted to the All-NBA First Team in 2023, when he finished fourth in the league in scoring with 31.4 points per game. In the 2024–25 season, he led the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game, won the NBA MVP award, and earned Finals MVP en route to winning the 2025 NBA Finals. He became the fourth player in NBA history to win MVP, Finals MVP, and a scoring title in the same season.With the Canadian national team, Gilgeous-Alexander won the bronze medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and was named to the World Cup All-Tournament Team. He was given the Northern Star Award in 2023 as Canadian athlete of the year, only the second basketball player to be honored with the award.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:45 UTC on Tuesday, 24 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Danielle.

pWotD Episode 2973: Northrop B-2 Spirit Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 859,140 views on Sunday, 22 June 2025 our article of the day is Northrop B-2 Spirit.The Northrop B-2 Spirit is an American heavy strategic bomber that utilizes low-observable stealth technology to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses. It is often referred to as a stealth bomber.A subsonic flying wing with a crew of two, the B-2 was designed by Northrop (later Northrop Grumman) as the prime contractor, with Boeing, Hughes, and Vought as principal subcontractors. It was produced from 1988 to 2000. The bomber can drop conventional and thermonuclear weapons, such as up to eighty 500-pound class (230 kg) Mk 82 JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen 2,400-pound (1,100 kg) B83 nuclear bombs. The B-2 is the only acknowledged in-service aircraft that can carry large air-to-surface standoff weapons in a stealth configuration.Development began under the Advanced Technology Bomber (ATB) project during the Carter administration, which cancelled the Mach 2-capable B-1A bomber in part because the ATB showed such promise, but development difficulties delayed progress and drove up costs. Ultimately, the program produced 21 B-2s at an average cost of $2.13 billion each (~$4.17 billion in 2024), including development, engineering, testing, production, and procurement. Building each aircraft cost an average of US$737 million, while total procurement costs (including production, spare parts, equipment, retrofitting, and software support) averaged $929 million (~$1.11 billion in 2023) per plane. The project's considerable capital and operating costs made it controversial in the U. S. Congress even before the winding down of the Cold War dramatically reduced the desire for a stealth aircraft designed to strike deep in Soviet territory. Consequently, in the late 1980s and 1990s lawmakers shrank the planned purchase of 132 bombers to 21.The B-2 can perform attack missions at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 m); it has an unrefueled range of more than 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) and can fly more than 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) with one midair refueling. It entered service in 1997 as the second aircraft designed with advanced stealth technology, after the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk attack aircraft. Primarily designed as a nuclear bomber, the B-2 was first used in combat to drop conventional, non-nuclear ordnance in the Kosovo War in 1999. It was later used in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, and Iran.The United States Air Force has nineteen B-2s in service as of 2024. One was destroyed in a 2008 crash, and another was likely retired from service after being damaged in a crash in 2022. The Air Force plans to operate the B-2s until 2032, when the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider is to replace them.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 02:31 UTC on Monday, 23 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Northrop B-2 Spirit on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Brian.

pWotD Episode 2972: Sitaare Zameen Par Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 200,349 views on Saturday, 21 June 2025 our article of the day is Sitaare Zameen Par.Sitaare Zameen Par (lit. 'Stars on Earth') is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language sports comedy drama film directed by R. S. Prasanna, and produced by Aamir Khan and Aparna Purohit. It is a spiritual successor to Khan's 2007 film Taare Zameen Par, and stars him and Genelia Deshmukh. It is an official remake of the 2018 Spanish film Champions, and follows a suspended basketball coach who must serve community service by helping a team of players with disabilities prepare for a tournament.The film was announced in October 2023. Principal photography took place in India over four months before completing in June 2024.Sitaare Zameen Par was released on 20 June 2025.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:53 UTC on Sunday, 22 June 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Sitaare Zameen Par on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Matthew.