Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2014-05-21/Traffic report

It's a relief to see Google Doodles having an impact again; their wide coverage means that they inspire curiosity on many subjects which, for reasons of nationality, ethnicity or gender, might not be known in the English-speaking world. It's a shame then, that Wikipedia so often fails to keep up; articles on Google Doodles are almost invariably C-class, and seldom do justice to their subjects. Still, interest in Google Doodles has been waning in recent months—Audrey Hepburn last week was the first to top the list since December—so any rise in popularity is worth celebrating.

'''For the full top 25 list, see WP:TOP25. See this section for an explanation for any exclusions.'''

For the week of May 11 to 17, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the 5,000 most viewed pages, were:


 * {| class="wikitable"

! Rank ! Article ! Class ! Views ! Image ! Notes
 * 1
 * Dorothy Hodgkin
 * Symbol c class.svg
 * align="right"|1,818,292
 * Dorothy Hodgkin Nobel.jpg
 * The Nobel Prizewinning pioneer of protein crystallography got a Google Doodle on her would-have-been 104th birthday on 12 May.
 * 2
 * Conchita Wurst
 * Symbol start class.svg
 * align="right"|1,579,871
 * 20140321 Dancing Stars Conchita Wurst 4187.jpg
 * It wouldn't be Eurovision without some unsettling political subtexts, and while Russia's not-quite-invasion of Ukraine may have had less impact than expected (they both gave each other points, albeit not a lot) the same cannot be said for its antediluvian restrictions on the LGBT community, (Eurovision is known as the "gay Superbowl", after all) reaction to which almost certainly played a part in this gender-bending Austrian singer's triumph over bookies' favourite, Sweden's Sanna Nielsen.
 * 3
 * Brown v. Board of Education
 * Symbol support vote.svg
 * align="right"|1,314,710
 * Warren Court 1953.jpg
 * This week marked the 60th anniversary of this landmark US Supreme Court decision, that effectively ended the Jim Crow apartheid that had characterised the American South and parts of the West since the Civil War. While it should be noted that America marked the anniversary under a black President, most news articles covering it have noted how far the US still has to go.
 * 4
 * Maria Gaetana Agnesi
 * Symbol c class.svg
 * align="right"|1,140,470
 * Maria Gaetana Agnesi.jpg
 * This 18th century prodigy, who spoke seven languages by the time she was 11, discovered the algebraic curve somewhat insensitively known as the "Witch of Agnesi"; a not-particularly clever pun on the Italian words versiera (sheet, the name of the curve) and avversiera, (female devil). Yes, can't have our women dabbling in all that diabolical math, now can we? Only in the modern era has the curve gained scientific applications, appearing in such phenomena as x-rays and power dissipation in resonant circuits, leading to long-overdue recognition and a Google Doodle for her 296th birthday on 16 May.
 * 5
 * Godzilla (2014 film)
 * Symbol b class.svg
 * align="right"|833,060
 * Gojira 1954 poster 3.jpg
 * It seems that Hollywood's trust in Gareth Edwards, director of the microbudget scifi flick Monsters, was well placed, as his take on the Godzilla mythos has emulated its hero, stomping the box office to dust with $93 million in three days. Critics seem to like the movie too; it's RT rating is currently 73%. Personally, I had issues with it, but then, what do I know?
 * 6
 * Amazon.com
 * Symbol b class.svg
 * align="right"|685,552
 * Amazon.com-Logo.svg
 * This article suddenly reappeared in the top 25 after a long absence, but at least it has a reason: Amazon Fire TV; a digital streaming device to watch online content on an HDTV. How it distinguishes itself from the three or four other such devices currently on the market is a matter of some dispute.
 * 7
 * Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
 * Symbol start class.svg
 * align="right"|638,076
 * Monroe Elementary School, Topeka, Kansas (early 2000s).png
 * Otherwise known as Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, this was one of the segregated schools that triggered the dispute that led to the Supreme Court resolution that ultimately ended segregation in public schools.
 * 8
 * Mother's Day
 * Symbol c class.svg
 * align="right"|623,525
 * Mothers Day card.png
 * The second Sunday in May (that's May 11 to all you ingrates who forgot) is far and away the most popular time of year to celebrate Mother's Day, and, even as the day fell, panicked college students in all participating countries rushed to their computers to learn they'd blown it.
 * 9
 * Narendra Modi
 * Symbol b class.svg
 * align="right"|604,300
 * CM Narendra Damodardas Modi.jpg
 * Thanks to an effective ad campaign and a sound economic record as Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat, Modi led his Hindu nationalist BJP to victory with a stomping 282 (52%) seats. A Hindu nationalist and a member of the RSS, Modi is considered a controversial politician and debate still surrounds the extent of his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots during his tenure as Chief Minister. The Indian National Congress, the party that has mostly led India since its independence, came in second with 44 seats, its worst showing in any election in India's history.
 * 10
 * Indian general election, 2014
 * Symbol c class.svg
 * align="right"|544,994
 * You'd think, given the push that Indians often give articles on this list, that their election, which concluded on 12 May, would be higher up.
 * }
 * align="right"|604,300
 * CM Narendra Damodardas Modi.jpg
 * Thanks to an effective ad campaign and a sound economic record as Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat, Modi led his Hindu nationalist BJP to victory with a stomping 282 (52%) seats. A Hindu nationalist and a member of the RSS, Modi is considered a controversial politician and debate still surrounds the extent of his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots during his tenure as Chief Minister. The Indian National Congress, the party that has mostly led India since its independence, came in second with 44 seats, its worst showing in any election in India's history.
 * 10
 * Indian general election, 2014
 * Symbol c class.svg
 * align="right"|544,994
 * You'd think, given the push that Indians often give articles on this list, that their election, which concluded on 12 May, would be higher up.
 * }
 * You'd think, given the push that Indians often give articles on this list, that their election, which concluded on 12 May, would be higher up.
 * }