- It has been 20 years since the first YouTube video was uploaded on 23 April 2005
- The video was uploaded by Jawed
- But what was the first video?
We have passed another milestone: 20 years of YouTube. Yes, we have reached the YouTube 20th anniversary. On 23 April 2005, history was made as the first YouTube video was uploaded on the streaming site.
The site was founded in February 2005 by the original uploader Jawed Karim, Steven Chen, and Chad Hurley. If you don’t know what YouTube is (really), it is a video sharing site that allows users to upload videos of themselves, and back in the day, you could rate, comment, and like or dislike the videos.
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Operating on the slogan ‘Broadcast Yourself,’ the site has produced stars like Pewdiepie, Mr Beast, and IShowSpeed.
What prompted the men to rework the concept of the site (which was originally a dating site with a video sharing feature) was one viral moment. The 2004 Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake Super Bowl event, where she was exposed on live TV, lacked videos on the internet.
Therefore, the men decided that a video-sharing-based platform would be a good idea for average online users.
But what was the first YouTube video?
YouTube 20th anniversary: The first YouTube video explained
The 18-second video was uploaded to Karim’s YouTube channel, and the video was titled ‘Me At The Zoo’.
In a video taken at the San Diego Zoo, Karim introduces the video, “Here we are, in front of the elephants.”
He continues, “The cool thing about these guys is that they have really, really, really long trunks, and that’s cool.”
While taking a quick look back at the elephants, he says, “And that’s pretty much all there is to say”.
What is the context behind the first YouTube video?
The video was recorded by Karim’s high school friend Yakov Lapitsky. At length, Karim has not explained the purpose of the video other than to experiment with the site.
However, the low-budget recording can be interpreted as a way to set the tone for what YouTube became- a fun video-sharing site where amateurs can upload content.
Nowadays, YouTube is known more for high-production and edited content, Shorts, and high-budget shows, but these are where its roots started.
Regardless of the video’s age, Karim has used the video to raise awareness of certain issues with the site. When Google bought YouTube in 2006 and later required users to have a Google+ account to comment on videos, Karim fought back.
In a comment on the video in 2013, he wrote, “Why the f*** do I need a Google+ account to comment on a video?” Yikes.
Google apologized and shut down the Google+ addition in 2018. Angrily, Karim condemned the site again in 2021 in another comment when they removed likes and dislikes. He said, “When every YouTuber agrees that removing dislikes is a stupid idea, it probably is. Try again, YouTube.”
Finally, in February 2025, he updated the description to include links that warn about the dangers of microplastics to the brain. Interesting.
Counting down to the 20th anniversary of the video, Karim wrote in the comments, “5 minutes”.
And history was made.
To conclude, happy YouTube 20th anniversary and happy birthday to the first YouTube video!
