Smiles

Moments where someone's face cracks open. Kid-meets-Santa, parent-sees-newborn, surprise-grandma, dog-greets-soldier — the small flashes of joy that the camera caught.

A chronological documentary of 46 moments spanning 1894–2022 on Loreline.

last updated 2026-07-16

1. 1894 — Fred Ott's Sneeze. One of the earliest motion pictures ever made — Edison's assistant Fred Ott sneezing. The first copyrighted motion picture in the US, January 1894.
2. 1922 — The OKeh Laughing Record. 1922's "Okeh Laughing Record" — a tuba duet derailed by uncontrollable laughter. A best-selling novelty record for two decades. The original viral laughter.
3. 1934 — Shirley Temple — Animal Crackers. 6-year-old Shirley Temple singing "Animal Crackers in My Soup" in Curly Top (1935). The brightest smile of the Depression years.
4. 1952 — Gene Kelly — Singin' in the Rain. Gene Kelly splashing through puddles, grinning through fever (he had a 103° temperature during the shoot). One of the most-quoted joy scenes ever filmed.
5. 1953 — Audrey Hepburn — Roman Holiday. Audrey Hepburn's coronation-of-fun smile in Roman Holiday (1953). Won Best Actress for her first leading role.
6. 1964 — Beatles Land at JFK. February 7, 1964. The Beatles step off Pan Am Flight 101 to 3,000 screaming fans at JFK. The grins on all four faces in the press photos defined Beatlemania.
7. 1979 — Mister Rogers' Smile. Fred Rogers (1928-2003) at the start of every "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" episode. The most quietly radical television smile of the 20th century.
8. 1986 — Pennsylvania Lottery Winner. The classic 1980s lottery-camera reveal — winner finds out on live news. Set the template for every lottery-surprise video to follow.
9. 1990 — Home Alone — Aftershave Scream. Macaulay Culkin's aftershave scream in Home Alone (1990). The single most-quoted image of 1990s childhood comedy.
10. 1991 — Gulf War Family Reunions. 1991. Operation Desert Storm troops returning to bases across the US. The runway-tarmac running-hug video became a TV-news staple of 1991.
11. 1992 — Derek Redmond and His Father. August 3, 1992, Barcelona Olympics. Derek Redmond tears his hamstring in the 400m semi-final. His father Jim climbs out of the stands and helps him finish the race. The hug at the finish line: one of the most replayed moments in Olympic history.
12. 1996 — Matilda — Bruce Eats the Cake. Mara Wilson and the chocolate-cake-cheering classroom in Matilda (1996). One of the most-cited "joy" scenes in 1990s family cinema.
13. 2006 — Judson Laipply — Evolution of Dance. April 2006. Comedian Judson Laipply's 6-minute "Evolution of Dance" — from Elvis to N'Sync. The most-viewed YouTube video of 2006-2007.
14. 2007 — Charlie Bit My Finger. May 22, 2007. The Davies-Carr brothers — 1-year-old Charlie biting 3-year-old Harry's finger. 900 million views; sold as an NFT for $760,000 in 2021. The first true YouTube viral hit.
15. 2007 — Paul Potts Sings Nessun Dorma. June 9, 2007. Carphone Warehouse manager Paul Potts walks on stage at Britain's Got Talent and sings Nessun Dorma. The unguarded smile from Simon Cowell — the rarest of all televised smiles.
16. 2007 — Dramatic Chipmunk. June 2007. Five-second video of a prairie dog turning its head. 60M+ views; spawned a thousand parodies and the "dramatic zoom" meme.
17. 2008 — Frozen Grand Central. January 31, 2008. Improv Everywhere's 207 people freezing in place in Grand Central Terminal at 2:30 PM. The bewildered-then-delighted commuter reactions defined the flash-mob genre.
18. 2009 — David After Dentist. January 30, 2009. 7-year-old David DeVore Jr. on the ride home from dental surgery: "Is this real life?" 142 million views.
19. 2009 — Susan Boyle's Audition. April 11, 2009. 47-year-old Susan Boyle walks on stage at Britain's Got Talent and sings "I Dreamed a Dream." The Simon-Cowell-stunned and Amanda-Holden-emotional reaction shots circled the world overnight.
20. 2009 — Sound of Music Flash Mob — Antwerp. March 23, 2009. 200 dancers performing "Do-Re-Mi" in Antwerp Central Station. The commuters' surprise → delight → singing-along defined the European flash-mob trend.
21. 2010 — Double Rainbow Guy. July 3, 2010. Paul "Bear" Vasquez filming a double rainbow at Yosemite, weeping in awe: "Oh my god. What does this MEAN?" 51M views.
22. 2011 — Sarah Churman Hears for First Time. 2011. Sarah Churman, age 29, hears her own voice for the first time after a cochlear implant activation. Her uncontrollable laugh-cry became the template for every "first time hearing" video that followed.
23. 2011 — Baby Laughing at Ripping Paper. 2011. Micah, 8 months old, in uncontrollable belly-laughter as his father rips a Costco rejection letter. 100M+ views; one of the most-shared baby videos of all time.
24. 2012 — The "Kids React" Series Begins. 2010 onward. The Fine Brothers' Kids React series — children watching old TV, music videos, technology. The pure joy reactions defined a YouTube subgenre.
25. 2013 — Marine Comes Home — School Reveal. 2010-onward genre. US service members surprising their kids at school assemblies. The "Welcome Home Daddy" hugs became one of YouTube's longest-running feel-good genres.
26. 2014 — Colour-Blind Glasses Reveal. 2013 onward. EnChroma glasses videos: colour-blind people seeing red and green for the first time. The brother/father/son reaction shots defined Father's Day viral content for half a decade.
27. 2014 — Grandma Sees Grandkid on FaceTime. 2010s onward. Grandparent's first FaceTime call with a grandchild. The thumb-on-the-camera fumbles + the moment of recognition became the canonical "phone-from-a-grandmother's-POV" content.
28. 2014 — Toddler Discovers Rain. 2014 viral video. 1-year-old's first encounter with rain. The face-tilted-up wonder reaction became the template for "first time" toddler-discovery videos.
29. 2015 — Subway Pianist — Crowd Joins. 2015 onward. Public piano performers at major train stations — Saint-Pancras, Grand Central, Gare du Nord — strangers joining in. A defining feel-good genre of mid-2010s.
30. 2015 — Pianist on Beirut Bombing Rubble. 2015. Aeham Ahmad playing piano on the rubble of Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, surrounded by smiling kids. The single most-circulated photograph of joy in wartime in the 2010s.
31. 2015 — Texan Toddler's First Snow. 2015. A southern toddler experiencing snow for the first time. The 3-step routine — step-out, gasp, fall-over-laughing — became the canonical "Texas snowfall" video.
32. 2016 — Newborn Meets Big Sibling. Mid-2010s onward. The "older sibling meets newborn for first time" video — kid kisses baby, baby grabs finger, parents lose composure. Pediatric-hospital staff started recording them as a service.
33. 2017 — Dog Reunited With Soldier. The military-dog-meets-soldier-after-deployment genre. The full-body wiggle, the running leap into the chest — the most reliably-tearjerking video subcategory.
34. 2017 — Firefighter Revives Dog. 2010s ongoing. Firefighters performing mouth-to-snout CPR on rescued dogs and cats. The first-breath videos became one of YouTube's most-shared rescue-animal subgenres.
35. 2017 — Pakistan Wins Champions Trophy. June 18, 2017. Pakistan beats India 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy final. The Lahore-street-celebration smiles defined Pakistani sporting joy of the late 2010s.
36. 2018 — Jubilee Middle Ground / Blind Date. Jubilee Media's YouTube channel — political opposites, blind dating series, "would you date X" videos. Smiles when people listen and find common ground.
37. 2018 — Thai Cave Boys Reunion. July 2018. The Wild Boars football team reunited with families after 17 days trapped in Tham Luang cave. The hospital-bed footage of the boys giving peace signs to their parents.
38. 2018 — Strangers Cheer Subway Graduate. 2010s onward. Strangers on the New York / London / Tokyo subway noticing a graduating teen in cap and gown — and erupting in spontaneous applause. The wholesome-strangers genre.
39. 2019 — Grandma Receives a Tesla. YouTube genre. Grandparents receiving cars from grateful adult children. The keys-in-the-driveway reveal videos peaked in 2018-2022.
40. 2019 — Dog Reunited After Years. Various viral videos. Lost dogs reunited with their original owners after years apart. The "remembers me!" tail-wag-and-leap into the chest.
41. 2020 — Pandemic Driveway Visits. March-October 2020. Grandparents waving at grandchildren from driveways, parents banging on hospital windows. The pandemic-distance-greeting videos became a 2020 viral subgenre.
42. 2020 — Healthcare Workers Clap. March 2020. Italian, Spanish, then global doctors and nurses clapping back from hospital balconies for the 8 PM applause-the-medics tradition. The collective smile of pandemic solidarity.
43. 2021 — Pandemic Reunions at Airports. 2021. Travel restrictions lift; long-separated family reunions at airports across Europe and Asia. The first generation of "I haven't seen you in 18 months" hugs.
44. 2021 — Simone Biles — Bronze on Beam. August 3, 2021. Simone Biles withdraws from team final at Tokyo Olympics for mental health, returns to win bronze on beam. The smile at the medal ceremony — a different kind of victory.
45. 2022 — The Queen's Funeral — The Smiles. September 19, 2022. Beyond the grief, the photographers caught children waving Union Jacks and old Commonwealth veterans grinning in their medals. The wholesome counter-current to the saddest UK news week of the century.
46. 2022 — Messi Lifts the World Cup. December 18, 2022. Lionel Messi finally wins the World Cup with Argentina. The Messi-lifting-the-trophy photograph became the most-liked Instagram post in history (75M likes).

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