Top 20 Most Important Videos In YouTube History

Jawed Karim

Everything great has to start somewhere. This video features Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo describing what’s cool about elephants (their really long trunks, apparently) for less than 20 seconds. It may not seem like anything special, but as the very first video uploaded to YouTube, “Me at the zoo” set the stage for everything that came after it. In the wake of this clip, other users soon began uploading their own miniature home movies for the whole world to see. And that’s pretty much all there is to say.

Lonelygirl15

The short form video format of YouTube effectively created a new method for storytelling. Although several creators/creations became wildly popular through ongoing videos in the early days, like Fred, our pick goes to Lonelygirl15. Initially presented as a vlog series following the daily life of a girl named Bree Avery, the videos soon develop into a bizarre sci-fi thriller surrounding Bree’s strange heritage and her parent’s religion. While eventually exposed as a scripted series, with Bree played by actress Jessica Lee Rose, “Lonelygirl15” helped launch not only the popularity of vlogs on YouTube, but also that of web series on the platform.

Rebecca Black

Something doesn’t always have to be good to be a hit. An awkward music video to a song performed by then-high schooler Rebecca Black, “Friday” received quite a bit of hate upon its release. There were dislikes galore, parody videos, and YouTube comments’ usual amount of…tact. And honestly, given its inane lyrics, frequent use of Auto-Tune, and the weird rap section, it’s hard NOT to mock “Friday.” Whether you consider it famous or infamous, “Friday” became a major milestone in YouTube history, if only for popularizing hate watching and ironic enjoyment.

Keyboard Cat!

YouTube isn’t just an opportunity to deliver new content. It has also seen plenty of videos from old formats uploaded to it, and this one took on a life of its own. Originally filmed in 1984, this short video was made by Charlie Schmidt of his cat, Fatso. Dressed in a dapper shade of blue, Fatso, controlled by Schmidt offscreen, appears to play the keyboard. Along with being popular in its own right, “Keyboard Cat” has also been included in other videos to “play someone off” after a mistake, like in old vaudeville routines. The internet loves cats and strange musical interludes, so it’s no surprise this became one of YouTube’s earliest memes.

magnets99

Short and sweet, this viral clip is pretty self-explanatory. Dramatic music sting, zoom in on an animal making a funny expression. Bing bang boom - it’s meme lightning in a bottle. There is some surprising history behind the clip though. For one thing, it’s not a chipmunk - it’s a prairie dog. For another, the video is cut from “Hello! Morning,” a Japanese morning show. Oh Japan…Perhaps most surprising of all, is the origin of the music. The dramatic sting is actually from the Mel Brooks parody classic, “Young Frankenstein.” What a funny world we live in. Or do we…?

Gary Brolsma

Originally uploaded to Newgrounds in 2004, this viral video exploded all over the internet, including on YouTube. The video features American vlogger Gary Brolsma lip-synching to the song “Dragostea Din Tei,” a Romanian pop song by the Moldovan group, O-Zone. Brolsma’s theatrical performance in time with the words and his flamboyant arm movements proved iconic. While he may have gotten the occasionally unwanted fame and attention, few videos have ever managed to capture the unrestrained joy we all feel pretending to sing a song and dancing by ourselves like this one.

Chowee


Connecting with science can be difficult for kids - and many adults. However, this YouTube video took a viral science demonstration and positively went ham with it. Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz dress in lab coats and experiment with adding Mentos to Diet Cokes. While initially small in scale, their final experiment involves a single take of them creating what is essentially an elaborate fountain display using the two sweets. The music, the intricate exhibition, and the comedic nature of the video helped ensure its overnight success. It just goes to show even the silliest idea can be successful with enough effort and passion.

Cara Cunningham

Hating on celebrities predates the internet, as does others championing them. In 2007, Cara Cunningham took it upon herself to stand up for Britney Spears after the singer received backlash for her VMAs performance. Her emotional plea to give Spears a break from the relentless criticism she received from journalists and media personalities went viral, though not in an entirely positive way. Parodies of her tearful, arguably performative request popped up everywhere online. Still, given the subsequent #FreeBritney movement in the late 2010s & early 2020s, Cunningham may have been ahead of her time.

OK Go

Music videos tend to do huge numbers on YouTube these days, but before it became accepted practice to put them on the platform, one band paved the way. The music video for OK Go’s “Here it Goes Again” sees the four band members perform a complex bit of synchronized choreography on 8 treadmills, all in a single take. The video catapulted the band to worldwide recognition and earned them a Grammy for Short Form Music Video. Imitators all over the internet have tried to replicate its magic, but there’s no reproducing the original.

Yosemitebear62

Sometimes the beauty of nature and someone’s reaction to it can send a video into the viral hall of fame. Paul “Bear” Vasquez spotted a double rainbow outside his house near Yosemite National Park in California and decided to film it. His wholesome, possibly tearful reaction to the phenomenon is pure magic. Vasquez’s unique descriptions of double rainbows being “full-on,” and “so intense” live in our heads rent-free and are impossible not to quote when seeing double rainbows in real life. The video inspired parodies, references, and even songs. “What does it mean?” That’s up to you.

Tay Zonday

One of the earliest songs to go viral on YouTube, “Chocolate Rain” quickly became a veritable downpour online. The simple beat, repetition of the title, and surprisingly deep lyrics touching on racial inequality would probably be enough on their own to ensure a successful song. However, the video took it to another level entirely. Tay Zonday’s deep voice contrasts sharply with his young appearance. Plus, his frequent turns from the microphone to breathe in are just the right level of quirky to ensure the video became iconic. It may have been spoofed plenty of times, but there’s no denying its appeal.

Invisible Children, Inc.

Activism isn’t generally the first thing that comes to mind with the biggest YouTube videos, but “Kony 2012” is perhaps the biggest example on the platform to date. This half hour documentary aimed to educate viewers on Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony, with the aim of bringing him to justice. The video has been both lauded and criticized in equal measure, with its proponents praising its call to attention to a long-underreported situation, and its opponents calling it an oversimplification that inspired slacktivism. How effective the U.S.-based activism and resulting Congressional action were…is also a matter of perspective. Regardless, “Kony 2012” did illustrate the potential for YouTube to reach viewers on real world issues.

Baauer & Filthy Frank


Dance crazes can come out of nowhere. Baauer’s song “Harlem Shake” is used in a video starring Filthy Frank, which uses the bass drop in the song to mark an abrupt jump cut and a major shift in how Frank and his friends dance. The simplicity of the video spawned thousands of imitators all over the world, each with their own spin on the idea. Although the success of the meme may have fallen off fairly quickly, its consequences were surprisingly long lasting. Its overnight success helped push the Billboard charts to start including data from YouTube when calculating a song’s success.

Psy

K-Pop is all the rage these days, but in 2012, the Korean Wave had not yet reached its current heights. Enter “Gangnam Style.” The elaborate music video, catchy beat, charismatic singer, and energetic dance moves set the entire world ablaze! Psy and “Gangnam Style” became household names worldwide. Parodies and imitators spread the word further through memes. It’s hard to understate the cultural impact. Perhaps most notably, the original music video became the first YouTube video to reach a billion views - a number it has surpassed several times over now, by the way.

???

This is no joke! The internet’s favorite prank is the bait and switch, and its favorite thing to switch to is the music video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. The memetic gag has a number of possible origins, with 4chan being the most popularly cited. However, its YouTube debut led to an increase in its spread and its use, both on the site and elsewhere. Whether you love the song, or love to hate it, it’s pretty clear that the internet is “never gonna give, never gonna give” this prank up.

Bill Wurtz

Education and fun are generally pretty separate, at least in the minds of many students. But Bill Wurtz’s 20-minute video, “history of the entire world, i guess,” is both enlightening and wildly entertaining. Wurtz does exactly as promised and manages to summarize billions of years of history, and the highlights of humanity’s time on Earth, covering everything from religion to conquest to video games. And he does so with rapid-fire, comedic delivery, simple animations, and musical breaks. While the blistering pace can feel overwhelming at first, it positively insists on multiple viewings. As cliche as it is to say, it really does make learning fun. The fact that every other line is meme-worthy certainly doesn’t hurt.

booba1234

Anyone who has had surgery can tell you that coming off of anesthetics can be…weird. In this viral video, young David DeVore Jr. learns this firsthand after having a tooth removed. His spacey conversation with his father became a major viral hit. David’s questions like “is this real life?” and “why is this happening to me?” are both funny and surprisingly deep. While some have suggested the video is exploitative, David is apparently fine with it, and he and his family have used the success of the video to start and aid several charities. While the way David felt wasn’t “forever,” his legacy on YouTube may as well be.

“Saturday Night Live” (1975-)


In 2005, YouTube was still fairly homespun. Videos posted to the site were primarily done by the creators themselves. And then “SNL” aired its second Digital Short. The Lonely Island music video features Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell rapping about a lazy Sunday afternoon seeing the Chronicles of Narnia and devouring cupcakes. The goofy premise and catchy tune proved immediately popular, and YouTube was soon drowning in unauthorized reuploads of the video. This not only made the video the site’s first true viral hit, it also led to a renaissance for “SNL” and arguably led to YouTube’s purchase by Google the next year and the platform becoming the cultural force it is today. You might say YouTube plus “Lazy Sunday” “equals crazy delicious!”

HDCYT

Perhaps the biggest of the adorable kids genre of YouTube videos, “Charlie Bit My Finger” sees two young brothers, Harry and Charlie Davies-Carr, sitting in a chair. Harry repeatedly puts his fingers in Charlie’s mouth and is then surprised when his infant brother bites him. While he’s amused at first, he quickly and inevitably comes to regret his decision. Whether viewers found it funny or cute, this short clip took the site by storm and inspired a ton of parodies, often with adults in place of the kids. It even managed to become the platform’s most viewed video, surpassing our own top pick, as it happens. Ouch.

Judson Laipply

In this blurry video, motivational speaker Judson Laipply dances onstage to close out one of his talks. His seamless and rapid transition from one famous dance style to another has to be seen to be believed. As wild as the crowd goes when watching it in the moment, viewers on YouTube loved it even more. The video became the most favorited and viewed video on the site, and one of its most discussed. Other videos may have surpassed it in views, but few YouTube videos are as universally appealing as this one.



Is there a video you think of when you think of YouTube? Don’t “let us down” - tell us your favorites in the comments!