27 Iconic Moments in One Direction History

What happened: Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn Malik all auditioned for The X Factor as solo artists but were rejected.

Why this is important: The initial rejection could have been the end of the road for the five of them, but the show's judges decided to pick these five boys who had never performed together and put them into a group. This was the beginning of One Direction.

What happened: We found out One Direction can't dance.

Why this is important: Fans found out from the get-go that none of the boys can really dance. This is why there are no choreographed dance routines during any of their concerts, despite the boy band stereotype. I can't count how many concert reviews I've read that criticize them for not dancing, but seriously, they're really, really bad at it, so they're better off not doing it.

What happened: One Direction started filming their video diaries while on The X Factor.

Why this is important: Back when One Direction were babies, they sat at the bottom of a set of stairs every week and filmed a video diary for The X Factor. It was here that fans got to know them and start to fall in love with their antics. Those stairs will always have a special place in fans' hearts because they were a beginning.

What happened: One Direction took third place in The X Factor.

Why this is important: One Direction is the biggest thing to ever come out of The X Factor and probably out of any reality TV show ever — and they didn't even win. Just goes to show you don't have to win those things to have success.

What happened: Zayn couldn't remember where they were.

Why this is important: Malabami (Malibu + Miami) will always be a special location to fans because it was just an adorable gaffe. (He actually didn't say Malabami, he said Miami, but it sounded like Malabami, and fans will never accept anything else.) We will always have Malabami, Zayn.

What happened: One Direction's first US single, "What Makes You Beautiful," was released.

Why this is important: There was no guarantee One Direction would ever find success outside the UK, yet finding success in the US is the ultimate goal for musical artists. The song, which will forever be a jam and one of the band's most well-known songs, has gone platinum four times . . . just in the US.

What happened: One Direction toured the US as the opening act for Big Time Rush.

Why this is important: The first time One Direction toured the US, it was as Big Time Rush's opening act for their small tour. I know, who is Big Time Rush? I don't know either, so it's amazing that One Direction, who just three years later were headlining the largest stadiums in the world, opened for them once upon a time.

What happened: One Direction: This Is Us was released in the US.

Why this is important: This Is Us is one of those movies that's really only appealing to the fans, and that's OK. The movie included live performances from London concerts and behind-the-scenes looks at several months of the boys' lives while on the road — as well as their early days on The X Factor.

What happened: Liam tweeted about a snake habitat in Australia!

Why this is important: This is probably Liam's most important and most remembered tweet ever. There was a group of fans lurking around the boys' hotel in Australia, and he was trying to get them to leave. He tried telling them about the snake habitat sign, but no one listened, so he told them again. You say "SNAKE HABITAT TURN AROUND" to any 1D fan, and they know what you mean.

What happened: Liam said if he could switch places with anyone else in the group, he'd switch with Harry.

Why this is important: Harry is easily the most well-known member of One Direction, which means he also gets a lot more hate than anyone else. When Liam said he'd switch places with Harry, it wasn't so he could be the popular one. Liam said he'd switch with Harry so Harry could have a break from being Harry. These boys really love each other, OK?

What happened: We were blessed with 1D Day.

Why this is important: 1D Day was the biggest, best sh*t show ever to have existed. The band live streamed for over seven hours, and fans were treated to technical difficulties, awkward segues, guest stars like Jerry Springer, and video montages with a lot of shirtlessness. It was also how Jason Derulo's "Talk Dirty to Me" became so popular so quickly.

What happened: Midnight Memories, the band's third album, was released in the US.

Why this is important: The band's third studio album is the first one to have a majority of the songs written by the boys themselves. Of the 18 tracks on the deluxe CD, 15 of them are credited to at least one member of One Direction.

What happened: One Direction made their second Saturday Night Live appearance.

Why this is important: For the second year in a row, the boys were the musical guest on SNL, but unlike the first appearance, this time they sang music from their third album, aka music they had actually written. It was a much more grown-up appearance than the year prior. It was also still better than their third appearance the following year.