Tech History: Instagram was Launched by a Dog Chilling Next to a Taco Stand in Mexico

On July 16, 2010, Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom uploaded the app's first-ever image—and it wasn’t a sunset selfie or brunch pic. It was a golden retriever chilling beside a taco stand in Mexico, with his girlfriend's foot casually in frame—the humble beginnings of one of the world's most influential platforms.

In a memorable reflection, Systrom confessed:

“Had I known it would have been the first photo posted on Instagram as it is today, I think I would have tried a bit harder.”

That spontaneous snapshot, filtered with X‑PRO2 and captioned simply “test,” launched more than just a new app—it kickstarted photo culture as we know it. Today, that unplanned moment sits at the foundation of an app where over 80 million photos are shared daily by more than 400 million users