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Top 10 Astonishing Facts about Jimmy Wales

Jimmy Wales By Zachary McCune –

Every time you click on the Wikimedia web page to find out about something, you have Jimmy Donal Wales to thank. As the pioneer of the free online encyclopedia, Jimmy has made himself a tech visionary. But how much is known about Jimmy Wales? here are 10 astonishing facts about him.

1. He never finished his Ph.D. studies

Jimmy earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance at 20. He then enrolled himself at the University of Alabama for his master鈥檚 degree earning a master鈥檚 degree in finance in 1988.

He enrolled himself in a Ph.D. Finance program at the University of Alabama but left it mid-way to join the University of Indiana in Bloomington, for the same course. While pursuing his Ph.D., Wales taught at the University of Alabama and Indiana University.  He never completed the doctoral dissertation which is required to gain a Ph.D. degree to take a job in finance. this reason led to him not receiving a P.h.D 

2. Jimmy Wales founded Nupedia

Jimmy launched Nupedia, his first free online encyclopedia in the year 2000, at the age of 34. He hired Larry Sanger who he met on his online philosophy forum, as the editor-in-chief for the website. Larry suggested that they should model Nupedia on the academic journal structure making it a more reliable source of information. 

Wales claimed that all the articles went through a thorough review process with Larry making the final edit. The review was a slow process causing Nupedia to approve only 21 articles in its first year. This caused a slow pickup for the site and wasn鈥檛 what Jimmy had envisioned the sight to be.

3. He launched the world鈥檚 largest free online encyclopedia – Wikimedia

A friend of Larry鈥檚 who worked on the 鈥榳iki鈥� software recommended they use the wiki model which allows users to add, modify, edit or delete content on the website while keeping track of the changes.

Larry discussed the idea with Jimmy and they agreed to explore the option. In 2001, the wiki version of Nupedia was launched and renamed 鈥榃ikipedia鈥�. Just after its launch, the articles on Wikipedia surpassed the number of articles on Nupedia.

Wikipedia achieved Jimmy Wale鈥檚 dream of building a free online encyclopedia with most of its early contributors being internet savvy and open-minded people. With the rapid growth, however, Jimmy and Larry had to establish guiding rules.

The rules dictated the type of content Wikipedia was receiving from a large number of entries. The content found in the encyclopedia was designed by Jimmy and Larry to encompass neutrality and fact-based writing without bias.

4. He initiated a nonprofit organization

Wales appearing as a member of the Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees at Wikimania 2007 By Cary Bass –

Jimmy Wales formed a non-profit organization under the name 鈥淲ikimedia Foundation鈥� in 2002 when he moved to Florida.

The main purpose of the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) was to handle the operations and finances and set policies for Wikimedia. Jimmy planned to fund Wikipedia through advertisements. However, in 2003 he decided to stick to his vision of providing a free online encyclopedia without gaining any profit from the website.

To keep the site up and running, Wales, together with his board member Angela Beesley launched a monetary company called Wikia In 2004. In addition, Wikia earns money by hosting various websites that use the wiki website model. Other collaborative websites supervised by WMF are Wikiquote, Wiktionary, Wikimedia Commons.

5. He was impeached by an ex-employee of the Wikimedia foundation

Jimmy faced controversy with his nonprofit – the Wikimedia Foundation in 2008 when an ex-employee of the foundation attempted to impeach him. This was based on claims that he was using the Foundation鈥檚 finances for personal entertainment and gain.

Jimmy Wales denied all the charges against him. Moreover, the chairperson of the foundation vouched for him by claiming that Wales had been transparent and accountable for all his expenditures.

6. He has married thrice

Wales with his second wife, Christine Rohan By Joi Ito –

Wales has married his grocery store colleague Pam when he was only 20 years old. They parted ways in 1993 after being married for 7 years.

He met his second wife Christine Rohan through a mutual friend and kicked it off. In 1997 the two exchanged vows and were married for 13 years sharing a daughter before parting ways in2010.

In 2009 Jimmy met his current wife Kate Garvey in Monaco and began dating in 2010. The two wed in 2012 and have one daughter together.

7. Jimmy has co-authored various books

Jimmy鈥檚 interest in books and literature grew into writing. He has co-authored various publications on a variety of topics, including finance. Wales has met success with all the books he worked on and they have all been well received. Some of the books he has contributed to include:

• Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom: How Online Social Networking Will Transform Your Life, Work, and World.
• The Pricing of Index Options When the Underlying Assets All Follow a Lognormal Diffusion.
• Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business.
• 33 Million People in the Room: How to Create, Influence, and Run a Successful Business with Social Networking.

8. He received many honors and awards

Jimmy Wales has received many awards and honors for his contributions in various areas throughout the years. Some of them include:

Being named the 100 most influential people in the world鈥� in 2006 by Time magazine.

He has been received other awards such as the Pioneer Award for his contribution through Wikipedia and the Leonardo European Corporate Learning Award. In addition, he was presented the Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize and the Global Brand Icon in 2008.

9. He is an atheist

He stated that 鈥淩eason鈥� influenced his decision to become an atheist. In his interview, he clearly stated that he is a complete non-believer and proclaimed the philosophy of rationality to be his motto.

Jimmy also considers himself a 鈥渓ibertarian鈥�. According to Wales, values like freedom, liberty, and all individual rights have been his guiding principles. 

10. He is a seasoned public speaker

Wales at the tenth-anniversary celebration of the Bengali Wikipedia By Nahid Sultan –

Jimmy Wales is one of the most sought-after visionaries in business and technology. His outspoken nature and the thought-provoking transformative ideas that make the audiences he addresses drawn to him. 

He has spoken at many conferences and gatherings such as TED, the free-thinking forum among others. Moreover, he speaks on a broad spectrum of topics including Artificial Intelligence, automation, censorship of the media, and disruption making him a standout speaker. 

Jimmy continues being among the movers and shakers of today and is an amazing and inspirational character and hope you鈥檝e learned a little more about  Jimmy Wales.