Wikipedia passes another milestone Wikipedia, the online
encyclopedia that students love and educators love to hate, has
passed yet another milestone in its short but storied history.
Yesterday, the English language version reached the 3 million
mark in posted articles. Ever heard of Beate Eriksen? No, most
people haven’t either, at least not outside Norway, where the
48-year-old stars in a soap opera. But she was the unwitting
subject of the site's landmark posting. In an announcement on
its web site, Wikipedia described the race to be the author of
the three millionth article. Normally, articles are created at a
rate of 50 to 70 per hour but yesterday over 120 were received
in the final minutes, as contributors vied to earn the
distinction of being responsible for number 3,000,000. Founded
in 2001, Wikipedia is a collaborative effort that has become one
of the most popular online destinations. Wikipedia articles are
written by volunteers around the world and almost all the
articles can be edited by anyone w