Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/March 8 to 14, 2026

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (March 8 to 14, 2026)

Prepared with commentary by Igordebraga, CAWylie, and Bkissin.

⭠ Last week's report → Next week's report

Certainly a heavy week between a war still raging, more politics, and some death.

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	2026 Iran war	2,505,559	Fifteen years ago, former head of Mossad Meir Dagan said that war with Iran was a stupid idea, as it would not achieve all of Israel's strategic aims and would lead to a prolonged conflict. As the war between the United States and its Allies against Iran enters its third week, it now seems as if the conflict may drag on longer than expected. Funny how everything old is new again.
2	Mojtaba Khamenei	1,455,669	Due to the strikes that opened the above, this Shia cleric with military experience lost his father, (#4) wife and one of his sisters. Given the first was the Supreme Leader of Iran, Khamenei was elected as his replacement, though his absence from the public view has been noted.
3	Deaths in 2026	1,009,335	Somethin's growin' Out of this that we can control Baby I am dyin'...
4	Ali Khamenei	896,165	Not to be confused with his predecessor as Supreme Leader, Khomeini, who he replaced in 1989 until Israel sent airstrikes on his house/office on February 28. His son (#2) has taken over.
5	War Machine (2026 film)	818,321	This Netflix film is not a Marvel movie about Iron Man's friend, nor is it the 2017 satirical comedy of the same name also released by Netflix. This version of War Machine, released on Netflix March 6, is about robots or something, and stars Jack Reacher portrayer Alan Ritchson (whose superhero forays were on DC, plus a Ninja Turtle!). So far, the movie has proven to be popular with audiences and critics, with a sequel already being talked about.
6	Jennifer Runyon	740,515	This American actress got her start in the 1980s as a regular cast of member of the soap opera Another World. She gained even bigger notice by appearing in an early scene of the 1984 hit film Ghostbusters. Soon after that, she had a main role in the first season of the sitcom Charles in Charge, but she spent the remainder of her acting career in minor roles in television and film. Runyon died at the age of 65 on March 6.
7	Carolyn Bessette Kennedy	708,602	Viewers are clearly still enthralled by Love Story (go figure why not American Love Story like Ryan Murphy's other shows), chronicling the relationship between this fashion publicist (played by the woman to the left, Sarah Pidgeon) and JFK's son (#13) before they died in a plane crash in 1999.
8	Iran	690,569	The country historically known as Persia turned into an Islamic republic in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and is considered a showcase of authoritarianism and poor human rights. Add bad relations with the United States, long-standing conflicts with Israel, and huge oil reserves, and it ultimately led to #1, clearly aiming to change Iran's government.
9	Men's T20 World Cup	689,480	India hosted a tournament of cricket's abbreviated version, and successfully defended their 2024 title in front of a huge crowd in Ahmedabad, with New Zealand's "Black Caps" being the adversary of the decision.
10	2026 World Baseball Classic	662,274	In a different "bats-and-balls" game than #9, this international competition in baseball took place this week, with the United States national baseball team beating Team Canada 5-3, South Korea being shut out by the Dominican Republic, Venezuela beating Japan and Italy beating Puerto Rico. The semi-finals and finals take place in Miami's LoanDepot Park on March 15-17.
11	Benjamin Netanyahu	629,886	As Iranian missile attacks continue to hit targets in Israel, there are questions about whether the Prime Minister has an exit strategy for the conflict. In response, the government began attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and passed bills aimed at further eroding the judicial system in the country.
12	Soham murders	623,531	One of the most intense and extensive manhunts in British history occurred in 2002, when two 10-year-old girls were lured into the home of their caretaker, Ian Huntley, who murdered them and dumped their bodies in an irrigation ditch. Huntley even insinuated himself in the community search for the girls, until his dark criminal past began to surface once the media began showing his face. The girls' clothing was found and the car he used to transport the bodies was thoroughly searched. He and his partner were arrested within two weeks of the children's murders. Over the course of serving his life sentence, Huntley was repeatedly attacked by other inmates. In February, he reportedly began wearing a football shirt resembling those the two girls had worn. He was severely beaten and put on life support which was removed, leading to his death on March 7.
13	John F. Kennedy Jr.	598,672	"John-John Kennedy" is played by Paul Anthony Kelly in Love Story, a retelling of his relationship with #7.
14	Strait of Hormuz	588,213	This waterway between Iran and Oman connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. Coincidentally, it is one of the key ways that oil tankers transport oil from the Persian Gulf to the rest of the world. With the ongoing conflict of #1 making tanker travel difficult if not impossible, it has led to an increase in oil prices.
15	Pete Hegseth	561,358	#1 is getting even more muddy, after the U.S. Secretary of War got wind that Russia might be sharing intelligence with Iran. When he learned said intelligence was about targeting U.S. assets in the Middle East, Hegseth warned Russia not to get involved.
16	Bam Adebayo	539,020	We already had articles on Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game and Kobe Bryant's 81-point game, and now an improbable player managed to get his own game between the two legends: Bam Adebayo's 83-point game, as the Miami Heat star who already helped them get to two NBA finals was scoring a lot on the Washington Wizards, even setting records on the amount of free throws (Adebayo didn't even finish the game after receiving so many fouls!): 43 attempts converting 36.
17	One Piece (2023 TV series)	525,661	The Netflix version of this long-running manga (and revolutionary symbol) released its second season on March 10.
18	Kharg Island	519,719	Another piece of Middle Eastern geography that is affecting oil prices, this island (located about 20 miles from the Iranian mainland and 120 miles from Kuwait) was home to an oil terminal and seaport that handled 90% of Iran's oil an petrochemical exports before being bombed by US forces on March 13. This is why it was seen as a strategic target in #1, though #21 also said that US forces might strike the facilities there again just for fun.
19	World Baseball Classic	502,455	The sixth iteration of this international baseball tournament, featuring 20 teams, began on March 5 and will run through March 17. Defending champions Japan was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Venezuela.
20	Jeffrey Epstein	487,086	In February 2026, Trump authorized joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran that resulted in #1 and the death of #4. But just in case the war made you forget, Epstein had an "interesting relationship" with Trump. This picture is an art installation on the National Mall entitled Best Friends Forever. It first appeared on the National Mall on September 23, 2025 before being dismantled by United States Park Police. In March 2026, it was replaced by a new sculpture depicting the two in the pose as Jack and Rose from Titanic. ("Have a nice day, DJT!") Regarding #1, Trump said of the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (who, avoiding the same mistake of a previous Labour PM, did not join the US in offensive strikes), that he was "not dealing with Churchill here", perhaps unaware that Starmer isn't dealing with FDR either.
21	Donald Trump	471,771
22	Sanju Samson	458,705	At #9, this Indian cricketer became the third-highest run scoring batsman in the tournament with a total of 321 runs. He was also named tournament MVP, despite only featuring in 5 games.
23	Hermann Göring	451,300	This German aviator, politician, and convicted war criminal was depicted by actor Russell Crowe in the 2025 film Nuremberg, which has arrived on most streaming services.
24	Hoppers (film)	415,967	Pixar's latest movie tells the story of an animal lover who has her mind linked to a robotic beaver (the movie itself has a joke trying to deny this is like Avatar...), which she uses to connect with the local wildlife as their forest is threatened by incoming construction. Replacing the studio's usual emotional punches with broad comedy, the very funny results earned positive remarks and Hoppers managed to top the box office for two weeks, defeating competition such as The Bride!, Reminders of Him and Undertone, and not only its earnings already matched the $150 million budget but surpassed last year's underperforming Elio.
25	Epstein files	412,590	Keeping off the Prime Video show Scarpetta are all the documents related to the investigation on #20.