24 January in internet history

Things that can be dated to 24 January: the day something was posted, a record that changed hands, an event research has pinned to a date. Every entry links to where it was read.

Nothing this archive holds can be dated to 24 January. That is a statement about what has been researched so far, not about the day.

These did not happen on 24 January. They are shown because the day itself is thin, and each one carries its own date.

1. 21 January 2008

   Project Chanology A video titled Message to Scientology is posted. Wikipedia — Project Chanology

2. 21 January 2009

   Netflix and chill The first recorded tweet with the words, meaning exactly what it says. Wikipedia — Netflix and chill

3. 21 January 2009

   The Duck Song Oden posts the song with its lyrics. Wikipedia — The Duck Song

4. 22 January 2004

   Orkut The network is launched. Wikipedia — Orkut

5. 22 January 2015

   Dancing Pallbearers The oldest clip later reused in the meme is uploaded to YouTube. Wikipedia — Dancing Pallbearers

6. 22 January 2021

   r/wallstreetbets Its users begin the squeeze on GameStop’s shares, which rise more than 600 per cent in four days. Wikipedia — r/wallstreetbets

7. 22 January 2021

   Wellerman Nathan Evans’s cover, already spreading on TikTok, is released as a single on Polydor, with a remix by 220 Kid and Billen Ted the same day. The remix reaches number one in the United Kingdom. Wikipedia — Wellerman

8. 22 January 2025

   TikTok refugees The legal ban ends, having run for four days. Wikipedia — Restrictions on TikTok in the United States

9. 23 January 2004

   Dean Scream Four days later, television networks have aired the clip 633 times. Within a week the figure is 937. Wikipedia — Dean scream

10. 23 January 2012

    Bad Luck Brian Davies posts the photograph to Reddit. It spreads through 4chan, Facebook and Twitter. Wikipedia — Bad Luck Brian

11. 25 January 1994

    Eternal September David Fischer writes that September 1993 will go down in net history as the September that never ended. Wikipedia — Eternal September

12. 26 January 2021

    Stonks During the GameStop squeeze Musk tweets “Gamestonk!!”, and the shares rise 157 per cent in after-hours trading. Wikipedia — Meme Man

13. 26 January 2021

    The GameStop short squeeze The shares close up 92.7 per cent in a day. Elon Musk’s tweet “Gamestonk!!” follows. Wikipedia — GameStop short squeeze

14. 27 January 2021

    r/wallstreetbets Its Discord server is banned, and the forum itself is closed to outsiders for about an hour. Wikipedia — r/wallstreetbets