No, Paris Hilton. You did not invent the selfie. Actually, Anastasia Romanov took one long before you popped out. Circa 1914, actually. #fact pic.twitter.com/I2eGhnfJIQ
— Leah Callen (@LeahJCallen) November 19, 2017
oh realy because heres kramer inventing the selfie in 1995 pic.twitter.com/dtmR0Kh3lP
— Seinfeld Current Day (@Seinfeld2000) November 19, 2017
And while this game is fun and could probably go on forever, the National Galleries Twitter stepped in to clarify that the first official selfie was apparently taken in 1839 by a man named Robert Cornelius.
This is the first ever photograph selfie in history, taken by Robert Cornelius in 1839. It's now in the collection of @librarycongress. ? pic.twitter.com/OJVQz7Rnrk
— National Galleries (@NatGalleriesSco) September 30, 2017
The BBC noted that the first known recorded use of the word “selfie” appeared in 2002, when Australian Nathan Hope posted a picture of his lips along with the following message: “Sorry about the focus, it was a selfie.” Goddamn you, whoever you are Nathan Hope. You’ve ruined the youth.