As the year winds down, we thought it would be good to look back on some of 2023’s most viral videos. They gave us laughs and filled us with hope.
Here are some of the most popular videos The New Daily shared this year, plus others we couldn’t stop thinking about.
What a smashing selfie!
In the Tour de France, 20 riders crashed, and all due to a fan taking a selfie.
During the 15th stage, a fan watching the race was seen putting out an arm to snap a photo and knocking the handle bars of a rider, causing the pile up.
The rider who was initially hit was okay following the incident, but people watching the race from the roadside were reminded to be mindful.
A similar incident happened at the Tour de France two years ago.
In 2021, a woman on the sidelines was holding a cardboard sign that also caused a collision and was eventually fined €1200 ($1350).
Tweet from @TheWapplehouse
Squirrel plays dead
This is probably my favourite video of the year.
A flying squirrel named Bobo knocked over a broom and decided to milk some sympathy by playing dead.
Bobo positioned the broom across his body, but made the mistake of continuously adjusting it.
Bear conspiracy
A bear at a zoo in China became the centre of a conspiracy theory in August.
Videos of the bear were shared online, leading people to think it wasn’t actually a bear, but someone dressed up as a bear instead.
The zoo denied claims it was a person in a bear costume and experts from around the world weighed in.
The humanesque creature is a sun bear, which are known to wave at people when in captivity and are generally around the same size as a human.
Tweet from @BradleyMartyn
Against the grain
In February this year, a 78-year-old farmer got stuck in a grain silo in Queensland.
It took a village to rescue the farmer and some people travelled 100km to help.
As first responders fought free the man, they also battled to make sure he could breathe amid all that grain.
While people were with the farmer, others worked to cut a hole in the silo.
Eventually, farmer John was freed from the deadly predicament as the stressed-out rescuers heaved sighs of relief.
One first responder among those hailed for their heroic efforts said working with the grain was worse than dealing with quick sand.
You can watch the rescue video here.
