London Museum Acquires YouTube's First Video

Victoria & Albert Museum adds 'Me at the Zoo' by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim to its collection

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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London's Victoria and Albert Museum has added the first video ever uploaded to YouTube, 'Me at the Zoo' by YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim, to its collection. The museum also reconstructed the site's early look, using code preserved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, to display the video as it originally appeared in 2005.

Why it matters

The acquisition of YouTube's first video by the V&A Museum highlights the cultural significance of the platform, which quickly grew from a single 19-second clip to a global phenomenon serving millions of daily views within its first year.

The details

The 19-second 'Me at the Zoo' video, posted by Karim on April 23, 2005, shows him at the San Diego Zoo commenting on the long trunks of elephants. To display the video as it originally appeared, V&A curators worked with YouTube and design studio Oio over 18 months, using code preserved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine to rebuild the 2005-era watch page, Flash player, and even period banner ads.

  • The 'Me at the Zoo' video was posted on April 23, 2005.
  • By the end of 2005, YouTube was serving millions of daily views.
  • In late 2006, YouTube was acquired by Google in a $1.6 billion deal.

The players

Jawed Karim

YouTube co-founder who posted the first video, 'Me at the Zoo', on the platform.

Victoria & Albert Museum

A museum in London that has added 'Me at the Zoo' to its collection and reconstructed the early look of YouTube to display the video as it originally appeared.

Neal Mohan

YouTube CEO, who stated that the V&A exhibit allows visitors to 'step back in time to the beginning of a global, cultural phenomenon'.

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What they’re saying

“The result is a way to 'step back in time to the beginning of a global, cultural phenomenon'.”

— Neal Mohan, YouTube CEO (PA Media)

The takeaway

The acquisition of YouTube's first video by the prestigious V&A Museum underscores the platform's profound impact on global culture, transforming the way people create and consume content in the digital age.