Slogans
The closest thing to an official Wikipedia slogan is "The Free Encyclopedia". This slogan has been translated into different languages:
Others suggested slogans are:
- Knowledge Shared
- Out of mediocrity, excellence!
See also m:Wikipedia Motto
Logos
In its first day of existence (
January 15,
2001),
Jimbo Wales used the American flag as a temporary Wikipedia logo. It wasn't intended to be permanent. See
meta:OldWikiPediaLogo for the old logo discussion.
This was Wikipedia's first true logo. It was an image that was originally submitted as a Nupedia logo. Jimbo thought it would be a much better logo than the flag, and it remained for the next eight months.
The current Wikipedia logo
In November 2001, Wikipedians began suggesting new logos (http://meta.wikipedia.com/wiki.phtml?title=Logo_suggestions). A shortlist of leading candidates (http://meta.wikipedia.com/wiki.phtml?title=Logo+suggestions%2Fleading+candidates) was chosen. The winner was the logo contributed by The Cunctator.
The quotation:
- Man is distinguished, not only by his reason, but by this singular passion from other animals, which is a lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continued and indefatigable generation of knowledge, exceeds the short vehemence of any carnal pleasure.
Taken from Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan, Part I, Chapter VI (http://www.orst.edu/instruct/phl302/texts/hobbes/leviathan-a#CHAPTER%20VI):
- Desire to know why, and how, curiosity; such as is in no living creature but man: so that man is distinguished, not only by his reason, but also by this singular passion from other animals; in whom the appetite of food, and other pleasures of sense, by predominance, take away the care of knowing causes; which is a lust of the mind, that by a perseverance of delight in the continual and indefatigable generation of knowledge, exceedeth the short vehemence of any carnal pleasure.
After the winning logo was chosen, Mark Ryan designed one in a similiar style, but in colour. It is now used as the Meta-Wikipedia logo:
See also
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