In the wikitext, having a blank line before and after lists is helpful for quickly finding where you want to make changes to the wikitext.
This is a little easier to understand at a glance:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. * Yesterday * Today * Tomorrow The quick onyx goblin jumps over the lazy dwarf.
than this:
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. * Yesterday * Today * Tomorrow The quick onyx goblin jumps over the lazy dwarf.