It's hard to pinpoint exactly where the first viral video came from, or, for that matter, who made it, but it certainly wasn't Facebook. It was only this past January that Facebook opened up Live, it's live-streaming tool, to the general public, after previously previously rolling it out to a select group of VIP users.
But it only took a few months for Facebook Live to get its first viral sensation: Chewbacca Mom. If you never thought you'd see those two words together, you're not alone. Candace Payne proved that with an iPhone and a profile page, you could become a viral sensation in the same way that people had on YouTube and Vine (may it RIP).
While you probably saw, or at least heard about, Chewbacca Mom, you probably haven't seen all of the other most popular Live videos of 2016, which Facebook announced today in its year in review. Now's your chance. Count down to number one and prepare to feel almost every emoji emotion in existence, below.
10. Super Deluxe's Election Map
Turns out, people really like dark humor.
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9. Dena Blizzard's Chardonnay Go
Correction: This app is not just for moms. It's for Friday nights. Let's Chardonnay go!
8. CNN's Empire State
Five hours of epic music, plus epic lights on an epic building combined to create one astoundingly boring video.
7. Viral Thread's Population Count
This four-hour-long countdown was one of the most simple, yet accurate, ways of representing emotions around the election.
6. Under The Hood's Wood Truck
26 million people watched a video of a truck made out of wood, proving that if you build it, they will watch. Some winning lines: "Well, it will never rust," and, "Never seen anything like it. It's all wood. All wood. Everything."
If you have any doubt, it really is all wood — unless you're counting the tires and all the machinery it takes to make a car run. But those don't matter, right?
5. NBC News' Election Results
Note: If you don't want to relive election night, you'd best avoid watching this video.
4. Atlanta Buzz's Hugs For Police Officers
11 heartwarming minutes of hugs (and some handshakes).
3. BuzzFeed's Presidential Countdown
We take it back. This is the most simple, yet genius, Live video to date.
2. Ted Yoder's Soundscapes
What can you do on hammered dulcimer? A hell of a lot, folk artist Ted Yoder proved (to the tune of over 2.7 million views!).
1. Candace Payne's Chewbacca Mom
The mom, the mask, the legend. Candace Payne showed us that sometimes it really is the "simple joys in life" that count. That, and one ridiculous, howling laugh.
If you need any inspiration to attempt your own viral Facebook Live in 2017, just know that Payne had, as of June, earned almost $500,000. Not too shabby for four minutes spent talking in a car.
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