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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 07:42 IST
A visitor at the YouTube stand in Cannes, France.

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

Last updated on: February 19, 2013 07:42 IST
Chad Hurley, left, and Steve Chen, right, co-founders of YouTube in Paris, France.

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

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People walk by a YouTube sign at the Google office in Toronto, Canada.

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

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A woman demonstrates YouTube services on the Xbox game console in Los Angeles, California.

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

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A jogger wearing Nike shoes runs along the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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

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Visitors at YouTube stand in Cannes, France.

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

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A journalist watches a video of Austrian President Fischer's announcement to run for President on YouTube in Vienna.

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

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Britain's Queen Elizabeth uses a computer to upload a video to the Royal Channel on YouTube in London.

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

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The entrance to the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.

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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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

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A conference room at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.

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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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

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The dog of a YouTube employee sits by a desk at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.

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

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Employees play on the putting green at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California.

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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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

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Justin Bieber in Sanford, Florida.

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

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The US Capitol building in Washington, DC.

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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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

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Anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, Egypt.

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

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Singer Pink performs in Los Angeles, California.

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

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A poster for the Warner Bros. film 'The Dark Knight Rises' is displayed at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California.

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

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Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones performs at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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

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The music room at the Google office in Toronto, Canada.

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

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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.

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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20 milestones in the history of YouTube

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South Korean singer Psy performs his hit 'Gangnam Style' in central Sydney, Australia.

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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