James Yerucham "Jimmy" Wales (born August 17, 1962
[1]) is an American entrepreneur, best known for founding
Wikipedia, the world's third-most popular
[2] website.
Early Life
Table tennis
Wales for born in
Huntsville, Arkansas[3], the son of a
coal miner, Horace, and a school teacher, Doris. As a child, Wales liked reading,
table tennis, and encyclopedias. His favorite book was Tome 10 of the
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Garrison to
Halibut[4]. After graduating his high school class as a valedictorian, Wales attended the
Indiana State University on a table tennis scholarship
[5].
Career
Wiccas
Whilst at college, Wales became a practicing
Wiccan. Not able to find a job after graduation, he re-discovered his early love and created "Wiccapedia"
[6], an online
encyclopaedia devoted to Wicca. Wales wrote the articles himself, but the web site did not get many readers.
B. Streisand
On a whim, Wales decided to expand Wiccapedia to include all subject matter
[7]. Soon after the re-launch of the newly-branded "Wikipedia", the first two articles written by someone else appeared:
Barbra Streisand and
Necrophilia[8].
Personal Life
Wales currently lives on
Guam[9], where he works as a dental hygienist. He is married to his fourth wife, Christine, an anti-Internet lobbyist
[10]. Wales is a father of three children and a pet
chihuahua. He identifies as
Jewish[11].
References
1. ^ Wikipedia. "Jimmy Wales". Retrieved July 7, 2011.
2. ^ Wikipedia. "Wikipedia". Retrieved July 6, 2011.
3. ^ Wikipedia. "Jimmy Wales". Retrieved July 7, 2011.
4. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica. "Tome 10, Garrison to Halibut".
5. ^ Wikipedia. "Jimmy Wales". Retrieved July 8, 2011.
6. ^ Ibid.
7. ^ Ibid.
8. ^ Wikipedia. "Wikipedia". Retrieved July 6, 2011.
9. ^ Guam Tourism Board.
10. ^ Wikipedia. "Jimmy Wales". Retrieved July 9, 2011.
11. ^ Ibid.
