IMDb Started as a Usenet List of Beautiful Eyes

Before IMDb became the go-to database for every movie, TV show, and "that guy from that thing" query, it started with something surprisingly specific: a list of actresses with beautiful eyes. In 1990, British film fan and programmer Col Needham posted "Those Eyes" on Usenet, cataloging performers whose peepers caught his attention. This quirky origin story makes IMDb one of the internet's oldest websites—and it didn't even start on the web.

Wait, how can a website predate the web? Because in 1990, the World Wide Web didn't exist yet. Tim Berners-Lee was still coding it up at CERN. The internet, however, was alive and well through systems like Usenet, a distributed discussion network where people shared everything from research papers to, apparently, lists of captivating celebrity eyes.

From Eyes to Everything

Needham's list struck a chord. Other film enthusiasts responded with their own lists—handsome actors, great directors, memorable quotes. By late 1990, this collaborative effort had snowballed into nearly 10,000 films and TV series, complete with cast information. On October 17, 1990, Needham opened his private database to the internet as the "rec.arts.movies movie database." That date makes it older than most websites you use daily.

The project's growth was organic and chaotic in the best way. Different people maintained different lists, all contributing to what would become the most comprehensive entertainment database on the planet. No venture capital, no business plan—just film nerds doing film nerd things.

The Move to the Web (and Amazon)

On August 5, 1993, the database made the leap to the shiny new World Wide Web as the "Cardiff Internet Movie Database," named after the city where it was hosted. The transition from Usenet to HTTP was like moving from a filing cabinet to a library—suddenly searchable, linkable, and accessible to anyone with a browser.

The real plot twist came in 1998 when Jeff Bezos bought IMDb for $55 million. Amazon wanted a platform to sell VHS tapes and DVDs, and what better way than to own the site where everyone looked up movies? IMDb remained free and ad-supported, becoming a revenue generator while feeding Amazon's retail ambitions.

Beautiful Eyes, Lasting Legacy

Today, IMDb hosts information on over 12 million titles and 135 million cast and crew members. It's the default source for settling bar arguments about who was in what, when movies came out, and whether that direct-to-video sequel really happened (it did).

The journey from "Those Eyes" to cultural institution is a reminder that the internet's biggest platforms often start with someone's weird passion project. Needham wasn't trying to build a billion-dollar database—he just really appreciated a good pair of eyes. The collaborative spirit of those early Usenet days, where strangers built something together for the love of it, became the blueprint for IMDb's crowdsourced model.

So next time you're scrolling through an actor's filmography at 2 AM, remember: this all started because one guy in 1990 wanted to make a list. Sometimes the most useful things begin with the most specific obsessions.