What is the name of the first video uploaded to YouTube?

The first video uploaded to YouTube was “Me at the zoo.”

Jawed Karim, one of YouTube’s three co-founders, uploaded the 19-second clip on April 23, 2005. Filmed by his high-school friend Yakov Lapitsky at the San Diego Zoo, it shows Karim standing in front of two elephants and making a brief comment about their trunks. Its ordinary, informal style later became symbolic of YouTube’s user-generated approach.

The video was uploaded before YouTube became a major public platform. The site was founded in 2005 by Karim, Chad Hurley, and Steve Chen, all former PayPal employees. “Me at the zoo” is often called the first YouTube vlog because it features a person speaking directly to the camera in a casual personal format.

The other options are later viral or popular videos, not the platform’s first upload. “Charlie Bit My Finger,” “The Evolution of Dance,” and “Lazy Sunday” became famous at different points in YouTube’s early growth, but none predates Karim’s zoo clip.