It’s rare that something both absurd and deeply intelligent captures the entire internet – and then stays relevant for years. Bill Wurtz’s history of the entire world, i guess is one of those once-in-a-generation internet masterpieces. Released in 2017, the 20-minute video now sits at over 180 million views, and for good reason: it tells, quite literally, the entire history of the world – from the Big Bang to modern politics – in a hyperactive, musically surreal, yet surprisingly accurate whirlwind.
Every second bursts with color, melody, and perfectly timed absurdity. Lines like “the sun is a deadly lazer”, “hi, you’re a new human being”, or “the Mongols just invaded everybody” have become immortal memes, but underneath the humor lies an astonishing level of research and structure. Wurtz condenses billions of years into coherent narrative beats – evolution, civilization, empire, collapse, and rebirth – all delivered through his distinctive mix of jazz-pop interludes and pastel visuals.
The video’s charm lies in its rhythm: a stream of consciousness that somehow never loses focus. It’s not just entertainment – it’s a compressed model of history itself, where chaos and order coexist in perfect sync. The pacing alone feels like an allegory for human acceleration.
Eight years later, it still stands as one of the most creative educational works ever made on YouTube – proof that art, humor, and knowledge can merge into something timeless. It’s history, but as Bill Wurtz would say, “in a kind of funny way.”
Both images are screenshots of the video.
