Wikipedia Editor Who First Noted Henry Kissinger's Death Has Become an 'Instant Legend'

Wikipedia users are celebrating the first user to edit Henry Kissinger’s Wikipedia page after the widely-hated American statesman and war criminal was announced dead on Wednesday at the age of 100.

“I’m now forever the girl who changed 'is' to 'was' on Henry Kissinger’s Wikipedia article,” reads the bio of the Wikipedia user Asticky, who updated her bio after editing Kissinger’s page on 8:46 PM EST on Wednesday. Since then, dozens of users have responded with messages of support and congratulations to Asticky on being the first to edit the page.

“We will never forget your historic contribution to humanity,” wrote one Wikipedia user on the talk section of Asticky’s editor page. “I just know that some historian is gonna cite this page in his or her journal article in the distant future. LOL,” wrote another user. “Congrats to Asticky for becoming an instant legend overnight.”

Other users awarded Asticky with “Barnstars,” a kind of digital merit badge that Wikipedia users can present to other editors for a job well done. Some of the Barnstars awarded to Asticky include “The Barnstar of Diligence” and “The Special Barnstar,” along with messages expressing awe for her quick work. “[F]or when you eventually get your rightful admin spot,,, WE STAN YOU QUEEN,” wrote another user, who sent Asticky an aspirational “Admin’s Barnstar.”

Henry Kissinger’s death was already a meme long before it actually happened. The former presidential advisor and U.S. Secretary of State is widely known as a war criminal for the bombing of Cambodia and shaping decades of foreign policy linked to the deaths of millions, most prominently while expanding the Vietnam War under Richard Nixon. Over the years, left-leaning social media users have shared countless memes remarking on Kissinger’s uncanny longevity, perhaps most famously a comic depicting a frustrated grim reaper trying to find Kissinger inside a claw machine game. 

Wikipedia editors are known for their speed and diligence amidst world-changing events, so it makes sense that the first person to update the site with the fact of Kissinger’s death would be celebrated. On Thursday morning, the Twitter account “Depths of Wikipedia” followed up with another Kissinger-related update: the Wikipedia article for “Hangover” had seen a three-fold increase in traffic.