Jimmy Wales

Jimmy Donal Wales (born August 8, 1966) is an American-born internet entrepreneur from Huntsville, Alabama, best known as a founder of Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia launched on January 15, 2001, and of the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation. He studied finance at Auburn University and the University of Alabama before working as a futures and options trader in Chicago and starting the web portal Bomis.[1][2] Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in the world.

Early life and education in Alabama

Wales was born in Huntsville in Madison County. As a child he attended the House of Learning, a small school run by his mother and grandmother, and in 1979 he enrolled at Randolph School, a Huntsville college-preparatory school with computer science courses. Wikipedia’s account says he used World Book update stickers at age three to revise the family encyclopedia.[1][2]

Career before Wikipedia

Wales moved to Chicago in 1992 and worked as a futures and options trader. In 1996 he co-founded Bomis, a web portal, with Tim Shell and Michael Davis. In 2000 Bomis funded Nupedia, a peer-reviewed online encyclopedia, with Larry Sanger as editor-in-chief.[1][2]

Wikipedia and Wikimedia

To speed up Nupedia’s slow review process, a wiki was set up on January 10, 2001, and Wikipedia launched on January 15, 2001. It grew quickly, passing 15,000 entries by the end of 2001. Sanger resigned on March 1, 2002, and Wales has since described himself as the sole founder, a status that Sanger disputes.[1][2] In mid-2003 Wales created the Wikimedia Foundation in St. Petersburg, Florida, which later moved to San Francisco, and he chaired its board from 2003 to 2006.[2] He and Angela Beesley also founded Wikia, now Fandom, in 2004.[2]

Honors and later work

Wales was named to the Time 100 list of the most influential people in 2006, received the UNESCO Niels Bohr Medal in 2013 and was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2013. He received the British Academy’s President’s Medal in 2017 and the Dan David Prize in 2015. He later launched WikiTribune (2017) and WT:Social (2019).[1][2] He lives in London, and in 2025 published The Seven Rules of Trust with Dan Gardner.[2]

FAQs

Where was Jimmy Wales born? In Huntsville, Alabama, on August 8, 1966.

Which Alabama universities did he attend? Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

When was the Wikimedia Foundation created? In mid-2003.

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Alabama: Jimmy Wales
2. Wikipedia: Jimmy Wales

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 10, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue