Wikipedia's first sentence called it “israeli zoologist best known for locating and collecting a”. Today it says “zoologist in ottoman and israel widely known as the "first jewish zoologist”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Israel Aharoni was an Israeli zoologist best known for locating and collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters , thus allowing them to be bred and turned into common laboratory animals, and subsequently pets . The majority of hamsters living today are descended from this one litter. Born in Widzi on the Russian/Polish border, Aharoni was educated in Prague , before moving to the Holy Land (then under Ottoman rule) where he became the first Hebrew zoologist: rediscovering and assigning Hebrew names to the native animals. His early expeditions took place under the protection of the local Sultan, for whom he obtained butterfly specimens in return. Many of his collected specimens are still viewable at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem . In 1930, Aharoni set off to look for Syrian hamsters at the request of his colleague Saul Alder , a parasitologist who was looking for a easily breedable alternative to the Chinese hamster for research on the disease Leishmaniasis . Syrian hamsters had been discovered and named by George Robert Waterhouse in 1839 but had not been sighted since. Together with a Syrian guide named Georgius Khalil Tah'an , Aharoni managed to discover a nest containing a female and eleven young in the Aleppo region. However, cannibalism of one of the litter by the mother, and the subsequent death of the mother, meant that Aharoni had to hand-rear the pups during the journey back. The four that made it were bred successfully and used extensively in laboratories, before being introduced to the pet market in the 1940s.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17060661.
The opening as it stood in 2010 10 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Israel Aharoni 1882 - 1946 Israel Aharoni ( Hebrew : ישראל אהרוני )(1946 – 1882) was a zoologist in Ottoman and British Palestine widely known as the "first Hebrew zoologist ." Aharoni discovered 30 previously unknown species of animals, insects and birds, and is credited with giving them Hebrew names.Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters on an expedition to Aleppo , Syria .The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in Jerusalem , but some escaped through a hole in the floor.The majority of hamsters in Israel today are thus said to be descended from this one litter. :: Professor Paul's Lives of the Great Naturalists : Israel Aharoni
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 346114924.
The opening as it stood in 2015
Israel Aharoni 1882 - 1946 Israel Aharoni ( Hebrew : ישראל אהרוני )(1946 – 1882) was a zoologist in Ottoman and British Palestine widely known as the "first Hebrew zoologist ." Aharoni discovered 30 previously unknown species of animals, insects and birds, and is credited with giving them Hebrew names. Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters on an expedition to Aleppo , Syria . The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in Jerusalem , but some escaped through a hole in the floor. The majority of hamsters in Israel today are thus said to be descended from this one litter. :: Professor Paul's Lives of the Great Naturalists : Israel Aharoni
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 660604285.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Israel Aharoni 1882 - 1946 Israel Aharoni (1882 - 1946 ) was a zoologist in Ottoman and British Palestine widely known as the "first Hebrew zoologist ." Aharoni discovered 30 previously unknown species of animals, insects and birds, and is credited with giving them Hebrew names. Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters on an expedition to Aleppo , Syria . The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in Jerusalem , but some escaped through a hole in the floor.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965453048.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Israel Aharoni 1882 - 1946 Israel Aharoni (1882 - 1946 ) was a zoologist in Ottoman and British Palestine widely known as the "first Hebrew zoologist ." Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters on an expedition to Aleppo , Syria . The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in Jerusalem , but some escaped through a hole in the floor. The majority of hamsters in Israel today are thus said to be descended from this one litter.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1149126119.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Israel Aharoni ( Hebrew : ישראל אהרוני ; 1882–1946) was a zoologist in Ottoman and British Palestine widely known as the "first Hebrew zoologist ." Aharoni is best known for collecting a litter of Syrian hamsters on an expedition to Aleppo , Syria . The hamsters were bred as laboratory animals in Jerusalem , but some escaped through a hole in the floor. The majority of domestic golden hamsters are thus said to be descended from this one litter.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1287743655. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “israeli zoologist best known for locating and collecting a”. Today it says “zoologist in ottoman and israel widely known as the "first jewish zoologist”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
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What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
israeli zoologist best known for locating and collecting a
Now
zoologist in ottoman and israel widely known as the "first jewish zoologist
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
