YouTube wasn’t always the number one platform for sending the funniest, most shocking videos into the virtual abyss of viral glory. Before the video-sharing platform, people had to post clips on comedy websites, forums, and via email.
Below are 10 videos that went viral before YouTube, Facebook, and all the other social media we use today existed.
Star Wars fans still love it. In the early 2000s, a teenager filmed himself acting out an imaginary fight scene with a fake Star Wars lightsaber.
According to Know Your Meme, the video was uploaded to Kazaa and then spread from there, ending up on various humorous websites across the internet. Eventually, the video was transformed into parodies and remixes with various special effects. It is estimated that the original, unedited Star Wars Kid video has now been viewed over a billion times.