YouTube has become part of everyday entertainment for many people around the globe.
Here are five interesting facts that you may not have known about the video sharing giant.
Which of these facts do you find the most surprising? Leave your comments below the article.
1. No PayPal, no YouTube
YouTube was created in 2005 by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. These same three guys originally worked together at PayPal and, when they sold that company to eBay, they received huge bonuses. They used that money to fund YouTube’s development. If it wasn’t for PayPal being sold, there probably wouldn’t be any YouTube.
2. YouTube was originally a dating site
YouTube actually started out as a site called ‘Tune In, Hook Up’ which was aimed at online dating. However, the founders decided against that direction and instead opened up the site for all types of video content after they found it difficult to share videos of a dinner party due to email size limitations. They also couldn’t find videos they were looking for, such as Janet Jackson’s now-infamous ‘wardrobe malfunction’ at the Superbowl.
3. The first ever YouTube video was filmed at the Zoo
Believe it or not, the above video is the first one ever uploaded to YouTube. It’s co-founder Jawed Karim at an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo. It was first uploaded on 23 April 2005 and has since had around 5 million views.
4. The first ‘Rickroll’ happened in 2007
‘Rickrolling’ is a prank whereby users would post links to a video of Rick Astley singing ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, but claim the link was to something else. You probably had to be there…
In any case, the first Rickroll happened on YouTube in 2007 and became a global phenomenon for a good year or two. By 2008, a survey found that over 18 million adults in the USA had been Rickrolled. The figure would almost certainly have doubled since then.
5. You can play a hidden ‘Snake’ game
Like most software developers, YouTube’s engineers have hidden some secrets within the site. One of those is the classic ‘Snake’ game which can be played within any video window. To get there, all you need to do is click to view any YouTube video, pause it and then press the left and up arrow keys simultaneously.
