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The First Ever Viral News Story
How a story and video took the country by storm long before the internet
In 2025, viral news stories are common. With the proliferation of smartphones and social media, every story has the potential and the means to go viral. That was not always the case. In the era before the internet, a story could only stretch beyond its geographic boundaries if it was picked up by a national outlet. Most news was disseminated via radio or by traditional paper. However, once in a while, a story comes along that is so absurd, so compelling, and so intriguing that it cannot help but spread like wildfire.
Viral stories are shared not because they are important but because they are outlandish. Viral news stories rarely contribute to society in any meaningful way other than to bind people together through laughter or bewilderment.
That is what happened to a local news story from 1970 about a sleepy stretch of beach in Oregon. This story has been described as the first viral news story, and it has all of the ingredients for an all time banger.
Our story begins when a whale washes ashore near Florence, Oregon. It is a large whale measuring 45 feet long and estimated to weigh over eight tons. Local officials initially hoped that the whale would break down on its own or somehow be washed…
