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This article was first published 11 years ago

20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 07:42 IST

Image: A visitor at the YouTube stand in Cannes, France.
Photographs: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

YouTube is the world's most popular online video site, with users watching 4 billion hours worth of video each month, and uploading 72 hours worth of video every minute, according to Business Insider.

Let's take a look at 20 milestones in the history of YouTube.

Source: Business Insider

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Chad Hurley, left, and Steve Chen, right, co-founders of YouTube in Paris, France.
Photographs: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters

The launch

Year: February 2005

Before February 14, 2005, very few people had ever even heard the name YouTube. It was founded by former PayPal employees Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. The idea was born at a dinner party in San Francisco about a year before the official launch, according to Business Insider.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: People walk by a YouTube sign at the Google office in Toronto, Canada.
Photographs: Mark Blinch/Reuters

Beta site

Year: May 2005

YouTube launched the beta site in May 2005, two months after registering trademarks, logo and domain.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: A woman demonstrates YouTube services on the Xbox game console in Los Angeles, California.
Photographs: Fred Prouser/Reuters

First video

Year: April 2005

On April 23, 2005, YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim posted the very first video, entitled 'Me at the Zoo'. It was only 19 seconds long, says Business Insider.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: A jogger wearing Nike shoes runs along the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Photographs: Brian Snyder/Reuters

One million mark

Year: September 2005

In September 2005, YouTube got its first one million-hit video. The video was a Nike ad that went viral.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Visitors at YouTube stand in Cannes, France.
Photographs: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Official launch

Year: December 2005

Following a $3.5 million investment from Sequoia Capital in November 2005, YouTube was able to increase its bandwidth, improve its servers and launch to the public, says Business Insider.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: A journalist watches a video of Austrian President Fischer's announcement to run for President on YouTube in Vienna.
Photographs: Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

New age

Year: June 2006

YouTube struck a deal with NBC in June 2006, helping the traditional media company enter the new digital age.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Britain's Queen Elizabeth uses a computer to upload a video to the Royal Channel on YouTube in London.
Photographs: Adrian Dennis/Pool/Reuters

Google's buyout

Year: October 2006

Google saw the potential in YouTube and acquired the video-sharing site for $1.65 billion in October 2006.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: The entrance to the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.
Photographs: Erin Siegal/Reuters

Payment programme

Year: May 2007

YouTube launched its Partner Program to let people get paid for their viral content in May 2007.

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Image: A conference room at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.
Photographs: Erin Siegal/Reuters

Charlie's video

Year: May 2007

A 56-second viral video of a toddler, Charlie, biting his brother's finger and then smiling is one of the most watched YouTube clips ever.

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Image: The dog of a YouTube employee sits by a desk at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.
Photographs: Erin Siegal/Reuters

Presidential debate

Year: July 2007

In July 2007, YouTube teamed up with CNN to host the presidential debate for the 2008 election cycle.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Employees play on the putting green at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.
Photographs: Erin Siegal/Reuters

First advertisements

Year: August 2007

Google decided it was time to start making money and rolled out the first ads for YouTube in August 2007.

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Image: Justin Bieber in Sanford, Florida.
Photographs: Scott Audette/Reuters

Bieber mania

Year: April 2009

Singer Usher introduced the world to Justin Bieber via a video on YouTube. Justin Bieber's song Baby is one of the most viewed videos on YouTube, with more than 820 million views.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: The US Capitol building in Washington, DC.
Photographs: Jim Bourg/Reuters

Mainstream move

Year: January 2009

In January 2009, the 111th US Congress hopped on the bandwagon and launched official Congressional YouTube channels.

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Image: Anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, Egypt.
Photographs: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

Arab Spring

Year: 2011

During the 2011 Arab Spring, YouTube played an instrumental role in disseminating messages of freedom and democracy.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Singer Pink performs in Los Angeles, California.
Photographs: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

Vevo's launch

Year: April 2009

YouTube and Vivendi team up to launch new music video service Vevo in April 2009.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: A poster for the Warner Bros. film 'The Dark Knight Rises' is displayed at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.
Photographs: Fred Prouser/Reuters

Movie rental

Year: January 2010

It started with a few movies that did well at Sundance, and has since grown to offer movies from companies including Paramount, Disney, NBC/Universal, Sony, and Warner Brothers.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones performs at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Photographs: Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Going live

Year: April 2011

YouTube Live has allowed the site to stream everything from concerts to news coverage.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: The music room at the Google office in Toronto, Canada.
Photographs: Mark Blinch/Reuters

Original content

Year: October 2011

Google reportedly paid more than $100 million to content creators to make videos exclusively for YouTube.

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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Image: Sweden's Martin Johansson, centre, leads Andrew Gabel of the US, right, and Feng Kai of China, left. during the Olympic men's 1000 metre short track speed skating race in Nagano, China.
Photographs: Reuters

Live-stream

Year: July 2012

For the first time ever, people all over the world were able to watch a live-stream of the Olympics in July 2012.

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Image: South Korean singer Psy performs his hit 'Gangnam Style' in central Sydney, Australia.
Photographs: Tim Wimborne/Reuters

Gangnam Style

Year: December 2012

In a little over five months, Gangnam Style hit one billion views in December 2012. It's now the number one video on YouTube with more than 1.3 billion views.

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