YouTube's first video, uploaded in April 2005, was an 18-second clip of cofounder Jawed Karim at the San Diego Zoo.
Less than a year later, the company was bought by Google for $1.6 billion in stock, the company's biggest-yet acquisition.
The platform quickly became popular, trouncing major American television networks in the number of videos viewed daily. It even boosted some artists to earn millions and gain fame.
Today, that number has grown exponentially — Youtube says that the number of channels earning six figures per year grew by 40% over the last year alone.