2022 In Depth
Longest Top 10 Streak
Cleopatra remained in the Top 10 for 29 consecutive days between August 11 and September 8. The article's average score during this period was 5.86. Across the last 10 days of this streak, its average score was 3.7.
This streak was interrupted by Elizabeth II, the runner-up for longest Top Article streak at 14 days.
Longest Dry Spell
Cleopatra did not appear in the Top 10 articles for 63 consecutive days between March 11 and May 12. The article's average score during this period was greater than 26.82*. On 3/29, the article's position was so low that it was excluded from the Top Articles list.
During this lull, two notable streaks occurred: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness became the first article to remain at the top spot for longer than a week, and the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard article pair appeared in the Top 10 for 24 days straight.
*The exact average is unknown due to the article's exclusion from the Top Articles list on 3/29. In good faith, I assume it barely missed the cut at #48
Longest Top Article Streak
The article for an infamous American serial killer remained at the #1 spot for 20 consecutive days, and remained in the Top 3 spots for 32 consecutive days.
Prior to this streak, Elizabeth II held the longest Top Article streak at 14 consecutive days. Elizabeth II's streak was broken by the serial killer's article.
Depp vs Heard Streak
Throughout the highly publicized trial of the ex-couple, articles for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard appeared in the Top 10. Both articles appeared in the Top 10 for 24 consecutive days, between 4/20 and 5/23.
During this streak, Amber Heard had an average score of 3.37, and Johnny Depp had an average score of 4.08. Perhaps Wikipedia readers are more interested in Amber Heard, or perhaps they already knew enough about Johnny Depp.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
From mid-February to mid-May, there was a regular presence of articles related to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine article. The initial surge of traffic was slowed by "the slap" at the 94th Academy Awards. For 133 consecutive days, between 5/25 and 10/4, there were no articles in the Top 10 related to the conflict despite its continuation.
Data for 2/28 is unknown—this was one of 2 days that I missed tracking the Top 10. I did, however, track the Cleopatra score that day: 29.
Other Streaks
See these shorter streaks that drew my attention during the year. This section is a work in progress.
Identical Top 10
On two occasions, the Top 10 articles were identical on different days.
September 21/22
The final two days of the Elizabeth II streak saw identical Top 10s. 8 of the articles were related to the British monarchy; the remaining 2 were House of the Dragon and of course, Cleopatra at #9.
September 26/27
The early days of the American serial killer's streak saw identical Top 10s. 5 of the articles were related to the killer; the others were Don't Worry Darling, Elizabeth II, Womens Super League, Giorgia Meloni, and Cleopatra at #5.
Indian Cinema
Several Indian films had impressive Top 10 streaks. Here are the data for every Indian film with more than 10 consecutive Top 10 appearances. Blank spaces indicating scores outside the Top 10 are omitted from calculations.
Codename: Kids Next Door
The article for this early 2000s Cartoon Network show appeared in the Top 10 only once the whole year: it took the Top Article spot on 6/17. If you know why, please let me know.
Whose Rap Flow's the Dopest?
The articles for Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra appeared in adjacent Top 10 spots on 9/29 and 10/5. These figures were pitted against each other in Season 2 of Epic Rap Battles of History.
Coming Soon: WWE Prevalence
Coming Soon: Bible and Deaths