What is Qwikipedia?
Ever been on Wikipedia to look up an article? More often than not, we start with one topic, click on a few links and within no time are reading about something else.
Qwikipedia is a game that tries to quench this curiosity in us. The objective is to get to a particular wiki page, starting from a specific article, using minimal clicks. There is no single correct answer, so we might surprise ourselves by finding new routes each time!
Friday’s Free rider
Otzi
In September 1991 an ancient mummy was found in the Otzal Alps of Austria. Nicknamed Otzi, he quickly gained international prominence because he was so well-preserved.
In fact recently scientists were able to confirm using the DNA from bacteri found in his hip-bone that he may have had a periodontal disease.
Otzi’s body and belongings are currently on display at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy.
South Tyrol
This province in Italy, also known as Alto Adige, is home to over 5,00,000 people. Being autonomous, it is mostly self-governed and is today among the wealthiest and most developed regions in Italy and the European Union.
South Tyrol’s official languages are German and Italian though in some municipalities, Ladin is used officially. The region was the root of tension between Austria and Italy and in 1960, the United Nations had to intervene.
Established in October 1945, the UN is an intergovernmental organisation. The headquarters are situated in New York city and its other main offices are in Geneva, Nairobi and Vienna.
The current Secretary-General of the UN is Ban ki-Moon. The UN was the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize award in 2001, but it has been the subject of criticism at times.
It was, for example, blamed for failing to prevent the Srebrenica massacre in 1995.
Srebrenica massacre
Also known as the Srebrenica genocide, this refers to the killing of more than 8,000 people in July 1995 in the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia.
It was during the Bosnian War and was perpetrated by a paramilitary unit from Serbia known as the Scorpions with the help of Russian volunteers.
The UN has described the incident as the worst crime on European soil since WWII.
So the path that we have traversed today is:
Otzi —> South Tyrol —> United Nations —> Srebrenica massacre
Three clicks!
Hop over. It’s time for the next question:
Monday’s Marauder
Send in your paths for the above to school@thehindu.co.in with the subject “Qwikipedia”. Do include your name, class and school!
