The Los Angeles Times published an excellent piece today surveying the landcape of YouTube-famous cats, including the moody Henri, the box-loving Maru and Lil’ Bub, who just cannot keep his little tongue in his mouth. Buried in the middle of the article, however, is an interesting tidbit about the history of cat videos. Though the first was probably uploaded to the Internet during the latter half of the 20th century, the LA Times reports that the first-ever cat video was recorded by Thomas Edison, he of lightbulb fame.
Created in 1894 to be viewed on a kinetoscope, an early motion picture exhibition device that Mr. Edison invented, the video showcased a 20-second moving picture of cats fighting in boxing gloves. It looks a lot like something you’d see on YouTube these days, minus the black and white grainy quality. Kitties wearing boxing gloves are positioned in a mini boxing ring and they begin the familiar cat game of paw punching.
The Library of Congress digitized the video and uploaded it to YouTube back in 2009. This is a piece of cat history, guys. Show some respect.