Historical Viral Video Archive
Fifteen landmark viral videos from 1998 to 2017, each with a full written history: when it went viral, what it peaked at, why South Africa loved it and where it stands in 2026. All embeds are official uploads only.
1998 · Dial-Up Era
Dancing Baby
Peak Uncountable, pre-dates view counters entirely views
A 3D animation test file that escaped a software company and became the internet's first true viral video.
2005 · Dial-Up Era
Numa Numa Dance
Peak 700M+ across all versions views
A teenager lip-syncing to a Moldovan pop song at his computer, filmed on a webcam in his bedroom.
2006 · YouTube Beta Era
Evolution of Dance
Peak 300M+ views
Six minutes of one man performing fifty years of dance history in front of a live audience, in a single take.
2007 · YouTube Beta Era
Charlie Bit My Finger
Peak 880M+ views
Fifty-six seconds of a baby biting his brother's finger became the most watched home video of the decade.
2007 · YouTube Beta Era
Chocolate Rain
Peak 130M+ views
A homemade protest song about racism, delivered in a startling bass voice by a graduate student at his desk.
2007 · YouTube Beta Era
Leave Britney Alone
Peak 50M+ within days views
A tearful two-minute plea in defence of Britney Spears that the internet mocked for over a decade before agreeing with it.
2010 · Mxit and Facebook Era
Justin Bieber — Baby
Peak 245M in its first year views
The most disliked video on the internet for almost a decade, and one of the most watched pop songs ever made.
2011 · Meme Web Era
Nyan Cat
Peak 200M+ views
A pixel cat with a Pop-Tart body flying through space on a rainbow, looped to a Japanese vocaloid song.
2012 · Facebook and BBM Era
Gangnam Style
Peak 804M in its first 100 days views
The first video to break YouTube's view counter and the song that taught the world a Korean dance move.
2013 · Facebook and BBM Era
Harlem Shake
Peak 1B+ across compilations views
A 30-second format that anyone could film in one take, copied more than 100 000 times in a single month.
2014 · Facebook and BBM Era
ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Peak 17 million videos, 440 million viewers views
The first viral challenge that raised serious money and led to an actual scientific discovery.
2016 · Data Bundle Era
Baby Shark Dance
Peak 7.05B by late 2020 views
A children's campfire chant turned into the single most watched video in the history of the internet.
2016 · Data Bundle Era
Damn Daniel
Peak 45M+ views on the original Twitter thread views
Two Californian teenagers, a pair of white Vans and a three-word catchphrase that ran the internet for a fortnight.
2017 · WhatsApp Forward Era
Distracted Boyfriend Meme
Peak Billions of impressions across platforms views
A Spanish stock photograph that became the most reused labelling template in internet history.
2017 · WhatsApp Forward Era
Despacito
Peak First video to reach 5 billion views views
A Spanish-language reggaeton track that became the first video in history to pass five billion views.