Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/August 4 to 10, 2019

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Prepared with commentary by Igordebraga

Last week's report | Next Week's Report

Sure as the articles that float high in August, when movin' through Kashmir

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As our most prolific writer said about the Top 25 Report, "Like India? Hope so. Because you're going to have to get familiar with that culture in ways you never imagined when you went to buy incense and sitar music at your local new age store. Sorry, but this is the English Wikipedia and India is the world's second largest English-speaking population. Welcome to the new world." And sure enough, Indian politics lead this week's report, in both territory reorganization (#1, #8, #10, #14, #21) and a recent death (#2, #17). The only topic as present are two of those tragic and sadly very common mass shootings that the largest English-speaking population endures (#4, #5, #9, #15, #20). Otherwise, the year's deaths (#13) have had the addition of a convict (#3) and an acclaimed writer (#6), and for some lighter\escapist topics, there's movies (#7, #12, #16, #18, #19, #22, #24), television (#11 and #25) and wrestling (#23).

They talk of days for which they sit and wait, all will be revealed. For the week of August 4 to 10, 2019, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:


Rank Article Class Views Image About
1 Article 370 of the Constitution of India   3,772,745
 
Jammu and Kashmir had a special status in India, thanks to this 1947 law which aimed to reconcile the Muslim majority region with Indian rule. It has now been revoked, leaving the population under a curfew and lockdown enforced by the military despite widespread unrest.
2 Sushma Swaraj   2,389,395
 
We're not leaving India yet, as this politician and Supreme Court lawyer, who had served as Minister of External Affairs prior to deciding not to run for this year's elections, died at 67 following a heart attack.
3 Jeffrey Epstein   1,891,850
 
A convicted criminal, a pedophile no less, is a rare case of a death that is hardly mourned (and God helps if you have the same name as the guy). And so was the case of Jeffrey Epstein, who hung himself in prison.
4 List of mass shootings in the United States in 2019   1,384,533
 
Says something about how bad the gun culture\control in the United States is when a whole yearly list can be done with gun massacres. And of the two that sadly opened August, more views given to the first, where a white nationalist opened fire at a Walmart, killing 22 - including 8 Mexicans and a German - and injuring 24.
5 2019 El Paso shooting   1,038,183
6 Toni Morrison   920,193
 
This American writer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature for a career that included works such as Song of Solomon and Beloved, died at the age of 88 from complications of pneumonia.
7 Hobbs & Shaw   902,248
 
Jason Statham (pictured) and Dwayne Johnson (who barely missed the list at #26) star in the first spin-off of The Fast and the Furious franchise, which has led the box office for two straight weeks.
8 Jammu and Kashmir   841,886
 
The Indian part of an oft-disputed region in the region that borders Pakistan and China, now going through territory status changes (#1, #10, #14), an being reorganized to split the territory of Ladakh (#21)
9 8chan   826,346
 
Before going on a shooting spree in Texas (#5), Patrick Wood Crusius was posted a white nationalism manifesto on this infamous imageboard (even worse than 4chan, given alt-right maniacs and child pornography is much worse than weirdos making memes). It was the final straw to ensure 8chan become a downright deep web site, unavailable for people without onion-flavoured browsers.
10 Article 35A of the Constitution of India   810,162
 
If #1 stated Jammu and Kashmir had special status, this article defined who were the permanent residents there. Both have been revoked by the presidency.
11 The Boys (2019 TV series)   797,445
 
Amazon Prime Video adapted Garth Ennis' comic book which couldn't be farther from the family-friendly superhero fare which has been making billions in theaters - right in the first episode Jack Quaid (pictured - Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid's son now leads a show!) loses his girlfriend once she's run over by a drugged out of control speedster, making him join the title's group of vigilantes who declare war against the unpleasant and unreliable "supes".
12 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood   760,331
 
Brad Pitt is again directed by Quentin Tarantino in an gory alternate history period piece, only in 1969 Los Angeles (right during the infamous murders that are detailed on #18 and #22) instead of World War II France.
13 Deaths in 2019   736,665
 
"And it feels like
The world has gone cold, now that you've gone away"
14 Union territory   608,172
 
India's not-quite-states. Both our #8 and the Ladakh subsection (#22) might become this sort of administrative division in October.
15 Mass shootings in the United States   576,986
 
To quote Samantha Bee, "We know what causes the mass shootings (#4, #5, #20) and you do too. It's the guns, stupid!" The President is even finally considering to enhance gun control.
16 The Lion King (2019 film)   526,848
 
Simba couldn't wait to be king, and he's certainly reigning, as the photorealistic remake of The Lion King is now the highest-grossing movie ever made by Walt Disney Pictures and tenth overall (the few who beat it include five other Disney releases, namely Star Wars: The Force Awakens and all four Avengers movies).
17 Swaraj Kaushal   509,020 The widower of our #2, a politician himself who has been governor of the state of Mizoram.
18 Sharon Tate   493,031   In 1969, this Hollywood actress was close to delivering her baby with Roman Polanski when the Manson family invaded the couple's home and killed everyone inside. Our #12, where Tate is played by Margot Robbie, changes the events a bit.
19 Avengers: Endgame   484,941
 
Marvel Studios' epic conclusion to 22 movies, which has become the highest-grossing movie of all time (unadjusted for inflation) and is now available on home video and digital.
20 2019 Dayton shooting   459,480
 
13 hours after the El Paso massacre (#4) another armed maniac struck in Ohio, opening fire on a bar and killing 9 and injuring 25, before being shot dead by the police.
21 Ladakh   437,128
 
Bound to be an Indian territory separate from #8.
22 Charles Manson   433,743
 
The leader of the commune\cult responsible for the death of #18, who died in 2017 and also appears in #12.
23 SummerSlam (2019)   424,025
 
The latest wrestling pantomime, held in Toronto and featuring among other things Alexa Bliss (pictured) and Nikki Cross winning the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
24 Brian Banks (American football)   403,109
 
The life of this retired American football player, who was wrongfully accused of rape and spent a decade either in prison or parole, was chronicled in an eponymous biopic.
25 Euphoria (American TV series)   395,713
 
Spider-Man: Far From Home fell off the report, but its female lead Zendaya is still present through this HBO high school drama where she stars as a recovering drug addict.