Bliss - The Story of Windows XP’s Famous Default Wallpaper

Chances are you’ve seen it before. After all, it's estimated to be the most viewed photograph in the world. Bliss was used as Windows XP’s default wallpaper. And for most people, that is all it will ever be. But behind this green hill and blue sky lies a story of ambition, passion, and spontaneity that defined a photographer’s legacy.

● Chapters:
Introduction - 00:00
The Man Behind the Image - 03:48
Just an Average Day - 09:50
A New eXPerience - 12:03
Westlight - 14:37
The Default Dilemma - 16:12
Why Bliss? - 21:20
2014 - 24:46
San Francisco - 26:31
A Sense of Bliss - 28:44
Conclusion - 32:38
Credits - 35:29

● Affiliate Links (these links will earn me a commission if you purchase something through them at no additional cost to you):

● Follow Me:

● Music/Credits:

Thanks to Alph for the Turkish subtitles!

Some materials in this video are used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, and research.

#MichaelMJD #WindowsXP #Bliss

[MichaelMJD]

Thank you for watching my last video for 2021! This is so far the largest project I've ever worked on, and the first time I've traveled somewhere for the sole purpose of capturing footage for a video. Months of work went into this, and I am very grateful to have received the overwhelming amount of support and feedback from you all. I hope to make some more videos like this in 2022, sprinkled in with the style of content I usually make. A huge thanks for (almost) 250K subscribers! : )

[carykh]

Nothing will ever elicit the feeling of "a carefree day" quite as well as Bliss did. Kinda ironic that a pest infestation was needed to allow Bliss to happen!

[hecdavid]

I was already inevitably smiling for a full 30 minutes and then... "They're both Mac users". I wheezed. I laughed out loud. Thank you for this, Michael. This was a beautiful retrospective and analysis. I will forever cherish that photograph as my first OS was XP and I remember the sheer happiness upon powering up that desktop and watching those bright colors in the screen.

[disasterocks]

It's channels like this I enjoy due to the depth and detail they go into to explain something and make sure it doesn't get lost in history.

[codymccormick]

I’ve never really thought about how inviting that hill is, imagine laying there and watching the clouds go by

[jstered]

“They are both Mac users.” Is absolutely, positively the best ironic way to end this video. Alll this journey, his life’s work, the photo itself becoming recognizable by billions, only for dude to probably never even have used his own photo as his background for his desktop. Incredible work for such a niche topic.

[JayCeeCreates]

It's the tech community that vows to preserve the ancient relics of modern computing, and somehow a single photograph being remembered as the most viewed one is a merit of it's own, such community knew they had to preserve the history of it. Charles O'Rear is still strong to this day, a life to tell the story of how one single photograph of a vineyard changed the lives of many people forever. This should not fade away from the history books.

And I was today years old when I found out O'Rear, who approached directly to Microsoft for the photograph, was using an Apple device.

[sonichero]

I never knew there was so much more to that simple wallpaper, for the longest time I didn’t even think it was real it looked too perfect. I loved hearing this story, it was so well made thanks so much.

[MilivojusAndVeljkoS]

Whenever I look at Bliss, I never look at it as a real photo, I see it as an entrance to another world, the same way XP was a gateway to my imagination. As a child I always thought there was more to it than that hill, I thought that behind it there was a vast open green field surrounded by similar green hills, maybe a pond or a river close by, with birds quietly singing in the background, always sunny and quiet, open to explore and relax in. It always gave me that sense of familiarity and it felt like home.

[matthewhackbarth]

"After installing /every single/ development build we have access to..."

That is some dedication. Bravo!

[mattdavis]

Masterful storytelling. I did not think I would react as emotionally to this as I did, but it's clear that you have a gift for finding beauty in things we may pass or look at everyday, just like Charles O'Rear did when he first shot that iconic photo over two decades ago.

[tombuck]

The idea that people were driving by that hill, maybe even having wondered about it but not realizing it, gave me chills. Absolutely awesome video.

[ohokay]

I feel so happy about it being a vineyard again for some reason. Like she took a little self care break, got a photo taken, and went right back to doing what she was meant to do.

[paulh]

The mundanity of the subject is in stark contrast with the epic production values. Every aspect of creation of this video is absolutely top-notch. You actually made me tear up a little toward the end. If someone had told me 20 years ago "You'll watch a 35 minute video about a photo of a low hill with nothing on it but grass, and love it" I'd have bet my right arm to a donut they'd be wrong. You covered so many elements with this--art, history, adventure, drama, even a little philosophy. I bet if people watch this in 50 or 100 years they'll think the same thing.

[zlette]

I have Bliss set as my wallpaper, it's just as beautiful as I remember it.

The fact you flew to see Bliss in it's origin is beyond amazing, you didn't have to fly out to just see a hill. Heh, it's not just any ordinary hill, obviously.
Thanks for documenting such a memory in our lives, along with it's origin story!

This hill will never leave our hearts.

[SmeddyTooBestChannel]

I used to think that the Bliss location looking nowhere near as picturesque nowadays meant that it was a once spotless place that aged badly, but as it turns out, it's the opposite! It was an unassuming place that had the perfect picture taken at the perfect time.

[Jacobhopkins]

The ending to this nearly had me in tears. My childhood was in the XP era. I remember staying up late countless nights at a friends house modding Halo 2 on the original Xbox using tools on an old HP Pavilion desktop. Simpler times. Thank you for the incredible work here. Hell of a way to end 2021.

[soulz]

Bliss will always be an iconic figure in our life. The one picture being slightly modified changed the entire world.

[-]

A late token of appreciation for this video and your channel. I recall watching it and enthusiastically discussing it with my father when it premiered. It would be our final new year together. Thanks for all your work.🥰

[CalvinBensonOfficial]

i just watched someone talk about a browser background image for 40 minutes, and i loved it. this is a fantastic video!