On this day, December the 21st, in the year of 2012, South Korean musical artist “PSY” or “Psy” music video for his single “Gangnam Style” reached a total of one billion views on YouTube, the first video to do so.

Psys, real name Park Jae-Sang, released the video on July 15th, 2012 and it would go on to be a massive success.

The videos comical nature in depicting people in a Seouls fashion district, the Gangnam District, helped it grow in popularity. A dance in the video, where dancers pretend to ride a horse, was a defining feature.

In December, it became the first YouTube video to achieve one billion views, being the eleventh most popular video today (History) (Brandwatch) (Britannica).

To view the record breaking video, see the “officalpsy” YouTube video entitled “PSY – GANGNAM STYLE(강남스타일) M/V”. 

To read more daily facts and tidbits, see the Barron Perspectives “On this Day Archives” webpage.