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Prepared with commentary by Hugsyrup
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There are some interesting contrasts in this report. Villains (#1 and #12) appear alongside their victims (#7 and #11 respectively), while two of our film and TV entries, #2 and #22 also feature #12. At the same time, there's a film (#17) and a TV series (#8) about superheroes, with very different perspectives on them, while our usual mix of Indian topics sees both a celebration of independence (#25) and concerns about a loss of independence #15). Other than that, the list sees entries related to events in Hong Kong at #9 and #13 and a dose of the surreal at #10 and, arguably #19.
For the week of August 11 to 17, 2019, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Rank | Article | Class | Views | Image | About |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jeffrey Epstein | ![]() |
3,899,509 | ![]() |
With an ongoing flow of stories, revelations and speculation about the convicted pedophile who killed himself in jail, it's not surprising he's at the top of this week's report. This week's #7 has been pulled into the spotlight along with him. |
2 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | ![]() |
954,131 | ![]() |
Positive reviews are rolling in for Tarantino's 10th film (and the first not associated with disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein), pushing it up to second place in this week's list. |
3 | SummerSlam (2019) | ![]() |
953,509 | ![]() |
A professional pay-per-view wrestling event that took place in Toronto on the 11th of August and was attended by 16,904 people, while even more have come to read about it on Wikipedia. |
4 | Peter Fonda | ![]() |
807,332 | ![]() |
The star of Easy Rider and Ulee's Gold died on August 16th at the age of 79 of lung cancer. "He went out laughing", said his sister Jane. |
5 | Sacred Games (TV series) | ![]() |
721,703 | This popular series based on a book by Vikram Chandra is the first original Indian series commissioned by Netflix. Its second season hit the platform on the 15th of August, and it's rocketed above American series like #8, #20 and #22 below. | |
6 | Deaths in 2019 | ![]() |
718,841 | ![]() |
Death is never far from our minds and this week is no exception, even as #4 was added to the list. |
7 | Ghislaine Maxwell | ![]() |
696,761 | ![]() |
She's the daughter of famous publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell, but it's Ghislaine's association with #1 in this week's list that has brought her back into the public eye. It seems unlikely that this is the last we'll see of her. |
8 | The Boys (2019 TV series) | ![]() |
675,306 | ![]() |
Violent, dark, subversive and funny - this Amazon Prime adaptation of the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson has stayed popular. |
9 | 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests | ![]() |
556,665 | ![]() |
Protests in Hong Kong have continued to grab headlines and, with concerns about a military invasion of the island by China, those headlines aren't ending any time soon. |
10 | Corn flakes | ![]() |
554,828 | ![]() |
An old story about the origins of this ubiquitous breakfast serial circulated on social media this week, leading people to look online for confirmation... |
11 | Sharon Tate | ![]() |
525,694 | ![]() |
Perhaps the most famous victim of the Manson family, Sharon Tate is a major figure in this week's #2, in which she is played by Margot Robbie. |
12 | Charles Manson | ![]() |
509,256 | ![]() |
Interestingly, Manson appears in both this week's #2 and #22, and is portrayed by Damon Herriman in both. I wonder if Damon ever worries about typecasting? |
13 | Hong Kong | ![]() |
503,759 | ![]() |
Special administrative region of China and location of the ongoing protests at #9. |
14 | Vikram Sarabhai | ![]() |
499,897 | ![]() |
This week saw the 100th anniversary of the birth, on 19th August 1919, of this revered Indian scientist. The milestone was marked with a Google doodle leading nearly half a million visitors to learn more about him at Wikipedia. |
15 | Article 370 of the Constitution of India | ![]() |
482,630 | ![]() |
Still garnering considerable interest after it was revoked on the 5th of August, this article gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status in India. It's revocation has led to unrest and a military-enforced curfew. |
16 | Hobbs & Shaw | ![]() |
468,025 | ![]() |
A spin-off of the |
17 | Avengers: Endgame | ![]() |
463,530 | ![]() |
The most visited Wikipedia article of the year doesn't show any signs of leaving this list anytime soon. |
18 | Liam Hemsworth | ![]() |
445,213 | ![]() |
Younger brother of one of the stars of #17 above, and a film and TV star in his own right, but just now he's mainly in the headlines and on this list due to the breakdown of his marriage to Miley Cyrus. |
19 | Greenland | ![]() |
442,954 | ![]() |
The world's largest island and an autonomous region of Denmark, this sparsely populated land is apparently not for sale, despite the efforts of the President of the United States. |
20 | The Handmaid's Tale (TV series) | ![]() |
433,163 | ![]() |
One of several original web series to appear on this list, The Handmaid's Tale is in the midst of its third season. With news of a fourth season in the pipeline and a clutch of nominations for major awards, it's getting plenty of attention. |
21 | Douglas Coe | ![]() |
417,514 | ![]() |
An influential evangelical minister who died in February 2017, Coe is featured in a new Netflix documentary series The Family which explores Coe's work and role in American politics. |
22 | Mindhunter (TV series) | ![]() |
403,617 | ![]() |
Only the second item on this list to feature Damon Herriman as Charles Manson, the series about FBI profilers returned on Netflix this month. |
23 | Miley Cyrus | ![]() |
396,816 | ![]() |
She's famous for her performance in Hannah Montana and for her subsequent singing career, but right now she's mainly in the press following the breakdown of her marriage to #18 above. |
24 | The Lion King (2019 film) | ![]() |
392,794 | ![]() |
One of several 'live action' (albeit largely CGI, of course) remakes of classic Disney cartoons, this was released last month and is still in theaters. |
25 | Independence Day (India) | ![]() |
387,669 | ![]() |
The 15th of August 2019 saw India celebrate 72 years of independence from the United Kingdom. |