Me at the Zoo — The Very First YouTube Video

 On April 23, 2005, Jawed Karim — one of YouTube’s co-founders — uploaded an 18-second clip titled Me at the zoo. It’s the very first video ever posted to YouTube and a tiny, iconic piece of internet history.

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Me at the Zoo may be only 18 seconds long, but its significance is enormous: it marks the beginning of a platform that changed how the world shares video. In the clip, Jawed Karim stands in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo and delivers a short, candid line about their long trunks — simple, human, and memorable. That upload on April 23, 2005, laid the groundwork for billions of videos, creators, and viewers worldwide.

Quick facts

• Title: Me at the zoo

• Uploader: Jawed Karim (YouTube co-founder)

• Upload date: April 23, 2005

• Length: 18 seconds

• Why it matters: First publicly uploaded video on YouTube — an internet landmark.

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Jawed Karim, “Me at the zoo” — April 23, 2005. The first video ever uploaded to YouTube.