Man sparks possibly the world's greatest Wiki photo caption battle

Wikipedia is brilliant place.
 By 
Sam Haysom
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

LONDON -- Wikipedia is the gift that keeps on giving.

Not only is there a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips and all that, but there's also the occasional presence of glorious hidden gems.

The following photo caption alteration, which was tweeted on Tuesday and quickly made waves on social media, is the perfect example of this.

That photo can be found halfway down an article about the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902. It shows Gilbert Kerr, who was part of the trip, playing the bagpipes while standing beside a penguin.

The caption change was also shared on Reddit, where it sped to the top of the r/funny subreddit.

The picture then quickly became the centre of a fast-moving Wikipedia photo caption battle.

Just look at the recent edit history on the page.

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The page has been edited well over 30 times since that photo went viral.

Back on Twitter, other famous Wikipedia entries were being pulled into the discussion.

Then the conversation widened to other memorable internet captions.

After all that, though, the picture is currently back in this form:

Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Judging by the fairly active history on that page, though, it might not stay that way for long.

H/T The Daily Edge.

Topics Reddit

Mashable Image
Sam Haysom

Sam Haysom is the Deputy UK Editor for Mashable. He covers entertainment and online culture, and writes horror fiction in his spare time.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You

AI bubble watch: Spooked market sparks $1 trillion Friday tech sell-off
Stock market

SAG Actor Awards nominations 2026: 'One Battle After Another' and 'Sinners' dominate
A composite of stills from "Frankenstein," "Sinners," "One Battle After Another," "Marty Supreme," and "Hamnet."


This 'Mario + Rabbids' for Nintendo Switch bundle is half price at Amazon
The Mario + Rabbids Bundle for Nintendo Switch on a purple and pink background

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

What's new to streaming this week? (April 3, 2026)
A composite of images from film and TV streaming this week.

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!