ViralWorld

The internet in 2021

2021 was the year of The GameStop short squeeze, Wellerman, Wordle and Zoom Cat Lawyer. Part of the short-form era.

The one from 2021

The GameStop short squeeze

You might remember it as GME squeeze, apes together strong and 1 more

A message board moved a share price thirty-fold and made the machinery of the market a public spectacle.

Defining moments of 2021What the year is remembered for

2021, month by monthAs it happened

  1. Corecore One of the earliest videos in the style is posted, without the word. Wikipedia — Corecore

  2. Bernie Sanders' mittens The photograph is taken. Wikipedia — Bernie Sanders mittens meme

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

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

  5. 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

  6. The GameStop short squeeze The shares reach 483 dollars, having opened the month at 17.25. The trading app Robinhood stops its customers buying them. Wikipedia — GameStop short squeeze

  7. Zoom Cat Lawyer The court’s YouTube channel, which had streamed the hearing, publishes the clip. Wikipedia — Zoom Cat Lawyer

  8. Cheugy A TikTok video by Hallie Cain explains it. Wikipedia — Cheugy

  9. Khaby Lame He passes Gianluca Vacchi as the most-followed Italian on TikTok. Wikipedia — Khaby Lame

  10. Dogecoin Its total value passes 85 billion dollars. Wikipedia — Dogecoin

  11. Charlie Bit My Finger Charlie Bit My Finger was sold as an NFT for $760,999. It was widely reported as being deleted from YouTube afterwards; it was not — the buyer kept it, and it returned to view in January 2024. Engadget

  12. La Velada del Año V The first edition is held in a Barcelona club, behind closed doors. Wikipedia — La Velada del Año

  13. VTubers Gawr Gura passes Kizuna AI as the most-subscribed VTuber. Wikipedia — VTuber

  14. Rickrolling The video passes one billion views on YouTube. Wikipedia — Rickrolling

  15. Devious licks The first video is posted, showing a box of disposable masks said to have been taken from a school. Wikipedia — Devious lick

  16. Bones or No Bones The videos begin. Wikipedia — Noodle (dog)

  17. Wordle The game is released to the public. Wikipedia — Wordle

  18. YouTube removed the public dislike count from every video, permanently ending the ability to observe that number from outside. Wikipedia — Timeline of YouTube

Also in 2021Older things, still moving

  1. PogChamp Twitch removes the emote after Gutierrez posts in support of further unrest following the attack on the United States Capitol. Wikipedia — PogChamp

  2. PogChamp Twitch begins showing a different streamer’s face under the name every twenty-four hours. Wikipedia — PogChamp

  3. 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

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

  5. Bernie Sanders' mittens Sales of Sanders’s own sweatshirt of the picture are reported to have raised at least 1.8 million dollars for charity. Wikipedia — Bernie Sanders mittens meme

  6. Leave Britney Alone After the documentary Framing Britney Spears, Cunningham calls the backlash to the video a “teachable moment”. Wikipedia — Leave Britney Alone!

  7. Nyan Cat Torres sells a remastered version of the GIF as a non-fungible token for 300 ether, then about 587,000 US dollars. Wikipedia — Nyan Cat

  8. Rebecca Black Friday Black releases a tenth-anniversary remix with 3OH!3, Big Freedia and Dorian Electra. Wikipedia — Friday (Rebecca Black song)

  9. PogChamp Viewers vote for a permanent replacement. A Komodo dragon wins with 81 per cent. Wikipedia — PogChamp

  10. Jerusalema Der Spiegel reports that Warner Music has begun asking organisations that posted dance videos for licence fees. Wikipedia — Jerusalema (song)

  11. Jerusalema Dance Challenge It is reported that the song’s label has begun asking organisations for payment for videos of the dance. Wikipedia — Jerusalema (song)

  12. The GameStop short squeeze A committee of the United States House of Representatives holds a hearing. Wikipedia — GameStop short squeeze

  13. Bad Luck Brian Craven sells the image as a non-fungible token for about 36,000 US dollars. Wikipedia — Bad Luck Brian

  14. Trollface Ramirez announces plans to sell the face as a non-fungible token. Wikipedia — Trollface

  15. Bilibili It lists in Hong Kong. Wikipedia — Bilibili

  16. Overly Attached Girlfriend The image is sold as an NFT for 411,000 US dollars. Wikipedia — Overly Attached Girlfriend

  17. Disaster Girl Roth sells the original as a non-fungible token for 180 ether, about 486,716 US dollars. The family keeps the copyright and ten per cent of any resale. Wikipedia — Disaster Girl

  18. Cheugy The New York Times writes about it. Wikipedia — Cheugy

  19. Charlie bit my finger The family auctions the video as a non-fungible token. The winning bid is 760,999 US dollars, from 3F Music. Wikipedia — Charlie Bit My Finger

  20. David After Dentist The family sells the video as a non-fungible token for about 13,500 US dollars, put towards the sons’ college tuition. Wikipedia — David After Dentist

  21. M to the B She signs with Warner Records. Wikipedia — Bella Poarch

  22. Dogecoin The price falls by as much as 29.5 per cent while Musk is presenting Saturday Night Live. Wikipedia — Dogecoin

  23. Jerusalema Nomcebo Zikode says she has not been paid for the song by its label. Wikipedia — Jerusalema (song)

  24. Four Seasons Total Landscaping A concert is held at the site. Wikipedia — Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference

  25. Devious licks TikTok removes that video. Wikipedia — Devious lick

  26. Devious licks TikTok bans the trend. The hashtag has been viewed more than 235 million times. Wikipedia — Devious lick

  27. Charlie the Unicorn The complete finale is released. Wikipedia — Charlie the Unicorn

  28. Wordle Ninety people play. Wikipedia — Wordle

  29. Four Seasons Total Landscaping A television documentary about the day is broadcast, a year on. Wikipedia — Four Seasons Total Landscaping press conference

  30. Something Awful Kyanka dies. Wikipedia — Something Awful

  31. Tiger King A second season follows. Wikipedia — Tiger King

  32. Bones or No Bones The New York State Senate issues a proclamation about him. Wikipedia — Noodle (dog)

  33. Giphy The United Kingdom’s competition authority rules that it must be sold. Wikipedia — Giphy

  34. Crazy Frog A new single is released after a gap of twelve years. Wikipedia — Crazy Frog

More from 2021Also remembered

On this page: 11 named things from 2021, 2 videos, 1 meme, 1 sound or saying and 4 trends among them.

The years either sideNearby