Wikipedia:Top 25 Report
Weekly report of the most popular Wikipedia articles
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Top 25 Report
Prepared with commentary by Igordebraga, CAWylie, ValeskaTheLame and Bkissin.
Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (March 1 to 7, 2026)
February ended with the start of a war, so we have the first March Report being mostly based in Tehran.
| Rank | Article | Class | Views | Image | Notes/about |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ali Khamenei |  | 7,087,329 |  |
On February 28, Israel and the U.S. launched airstrikes into Iran, the first series of which (#7) killed Khamenei. The United Nations condemned both the joint attack and Iran's retaliatory strikes on the energy facilities along the Strait of Hormuz, which caused a global crisis. |
| 2 | 2026 Iran war | | 5,460,225 |  | |
| 3 | Iran | | 2,199,946 |  | |
| 4 | Markwayne Mullin |  | 1,843,737 |  |
This United States Senator from Oklahoma (who almost got into a brawl with the leader of the Teamsters Union in a Senate hearing) was named as the new Secretary of Homeland Security, replacing #5. |
| 5 | Kristi Noem | | 1,719,613 | .jpg) |
The puppy killer and former Secretary of Homeland Security was "re-assigned" this week to the new position of Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Noem's tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security came under fire due to a number of issues, including the murders of several people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and rumors of a possible extramarital affair with fellow Administration official Corey Lewandowski. Noem was replaced by #4 on March 5. |
| 6 | Ruhollah Khomeini | | 1,680,452 |  |
Iran's first Supreme Leader (#8), who led the 1979 revolution against the Shah (#10) and prior to that was a Shia cleric. Known for among other things calling the United States "Great Satan" and Israel "Little Satan", Khomeini died ten years after rising to power, and was replaced by the similarly named Khamenei (#1). |
| 7 | Assassination of Ali Khamenei |  | 1,364,355 |  |
Iran's Supreme Leader (see below) was killed in his house/office once Israeli bombs hit Tehran (#2). Given the regime was targeted by protests inside and outside the country, there was some celebration for his death along with the concerns for another war starting. |
| 8 | Supreme Leader of Iran | | 1,122,573 |  |
Ever since Iran overthrew the Shah (#10), the country's head of state, with more authority than the president, is a high-ranking clergyman who earned the title Ayatollah. The first was #6, followed by #1, and ever since Khamenei's death (see above) it's his son (#12). |
| 9 | Deaths in 2026 |  | 1,034,378 |  |
Something's wrong 'cause my mind is fading And everywhere I look, there's a dead end waiting... |
| 10 | Mohammad Reza Pahlavi | | 1,009,711 | .jpg) |
The former Shah of Iran, Pahlavi ran #3 from 1953 (following the 1953 US-backed coup d'état of Mohammad Mosaddegh) to 1979 (when he was overthrown in a different revolution). While he presided over an Authoritarian state with an infamous intelligence service/secret police, Pahlavi's rule is also known for modernizing the country, economic prosperity and (ironically) less political oppression. His son #20 has been one of the key leaders of opposition to the current regime among the Iranian diaspora. |
| 11 | Soham murders | | 1,005,991 |  |
In August 2002, tragedy occurred in England when two 10-year-old girls, Holly Wells and Jessia Chapman, were killed by then 28-year-old Ian Huntley. Now over 20 years after Huntley's sentencing, he has died after being attacked in prison at the age of 52. |
| 12 | Mojtaba Khamenei | | 966,351 |  |
The second-eldest son of #1 was named #8 in #22, following #7. People have spoken about Mojtaba replacing his father for years, but there have been concerns about his knowledge of religious law. It was reported that Khamenei took control of the elite Basij unit to quash the 2009 Iranian presidential election protests and was seen as an ally of #16. Khamenei was targeted as part of #2, but has so far survived with minor injuries. |
| 13 | Alireza Arafi | | 878,004 |  |
Arafi, a member of the Assembly of Experts and the Guardian Council (appointed by #1), is currently part of the three-member Interim Leadership Council in #3 following #7. Well-versed in Islamic jurisprudence, he is viewed as a loyalist to the Islamic Republic. |
| 14 | Masoud Pezeshkian | | 864,722 | .jpg) |
The current President of #3, Pezeshkian serves as a member of the Interim Leadership Council with #13. Elected in 2024 as a moderate, Pezeshkian had attempted to return to negotiations on the country's nuclear program and ongoing sanctions. |
| 15 | James Talarico | | 855,750 | .jpg) |
This member of the Texas House of Representatives won the Democratic primary for the 2026 United States Senate election in Texas. The primary was not without controversy, with opponent Jasmine Crockett suggesting that voters in Dallas were turned away from voting. Talarico, seen as a rising star among Texas Democrats, now has to wait to see if he faces incumbent Senator John Cornyn or current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, following a runoff-election between the two. |
| 16 | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad | | 851,145 |  |
It was originally reported that Ahmadinejad, the former President of #3, was killed in an airstrike on February 28. Local reports dispute that information. |
| 17 | Carolyn Bessette Kennedy | | 798,805 |  |
The television series based on the romance between this fashion publicist and #21 has developed a viral internet following, with increased activity on TikTok and searches for Bessette and Kennedy increasing more than 9000% compared to a month before the shows premiere. |
| 18 | Men's T20 World Cup |  | 771,236 |  |
Leaving Iran for a change, going through Pakistan to reach India hosting a tournament of their favorite sport. And sure enough, India national cricket team reached the 2026 final against New Zealand - which was one day after the week of this Report, but they won! |
| 19 | Benjamin Netanyahu | | 739,933 | .jpg) |
Like the United States President, the Prime Minister of Israel hoped that #2 would be a distraction from the his ongoing corruption trial, how much he may or may not have known about the October 7th attacks prior to their occurrence and continued democratic backsliding in the country. He may be right, as polls showing his Likud party leading against a fragmented opposition. |
| 20 | Reza Pahlavi | | 716,146 | .jpg) |
The son of #10, Pahlavi has lived in exile in the United States since the late 1980s. Following his father's death, he named himself the head of the House of Pahlavi. In exile, Pahlavi has been heavily involved in opposition to the current regime in #3, calling for a secular and liberal-democratic Iran. Pahlavi remains controversial. While many view him as a uniting force for disparate pro-democracy movements, some argue that his support threatens to make these movements look as if they are a foreign-backed plot against the current regime, and that he is not connected to activists within the country. |
| 21 | John F. Kennedy Jr. | | 702,235 |  |
The Kennedy heir, magazine publisher and half-subject of Love Story was with actress Daryl Hannah prior to marrying Bessette. The relationship between Kennedy and Hannah is also covered in the series. |
| 22 | 2026 Iranian Supreme Leader election | | 682,056 |  |
Following the death (#7) of #1, Iran's Assembly of Experts scrambled to find his successor, as they had no one potentially in mind. The media had put forth ideas, including #12 (who was ultimately appointed) and aides currently in place, and even Hassan Khomeini, grandson of #6, the republic's founder. On March 3, the AoE's office in Qom was bombed, reportedly during an electoral session. |
| 23 | Epstein files | | 680,524 |  |
People continue to research about this man, his crimes, and accomplices. Hopefully one day justice will be served. |
| 24 | Jeffrey Epstein | | 677,550 | ||
| 25 | Pete Hegseth | | 657,027 |  |
The U.S. secretary of war has had a busy couple of weeks, due to involving his country's military in #2 (called Operation Epic Fury). While some detractors view such involvement as a distraction from the release of the Swiss-cheesed #23 (read: full of holes from being heavily redacted), Hegseth rattled his sword even louder, stating "We didn't start this war but under President Trump we're finishing it," adding "If you kill or threaten Americans anywhere in the world... we will hunt you down, and we will kill you." |
Exclusions
- This list excludes the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the talk page if you wish.