A 19-second video of a man standing in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo has been acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, alongside a reconstructed early version of the YouTube website. The clip, titled “Me at the zoo,” was uploaded on April 23, 2005, by Jawed Karim, then a 25-year-old, and has since garnered over 382 million views and more than 18 million likes.
The acquisition marks a significant moment in the history of the internet and digital design, according to V&A curator Corinna Gardner. “This snapshot of YouTube in the early days of Web 2.0 marks an essential moment in the history of the internet and digital design,” she said.
YouTube’s origins trace back to February 14, 2005, when Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim registered the domain name youtube.com. The three founders, former employees of PayPal, initially envisioned a video-based dating site, where users could upload short videos as personal introductions. Still, this concept was quickly abandoned.
The platform evolved into a general video-sharing service, allowing users to upload, share, and view videos. It rapidly gained traction, attracting the attention of the advertising industry. In November 2005, a Nike advertisement featuring Ronaldinho became the first video to surpass one million views. By March 2013, YouTube had exceeded one billion monthly viewers.
Recent data indicates YouTube remains a dominant force in online video. According to Business of Apps, as of 2026, YouTube continues to be a leading platform for video consumption and revenue generation.
