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Ant said the first selfie was from 1952 (if I heard correctly). Nobody before 1952 ever took a photo of themselves? What makes this the first? Help me understand. Thanks
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I think @ant_pruitt just assumed it was the first because it was so long ago. But yeah, it’s not a stretch that it could have been earlier… We can see from that Wikipedia article that the first was no later than 1839. Heck - I didn’t know photography went back that far! 
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That would be a self-portrait, not a selfie. He set up the camera, removed the lens cap and ran back and took a pose, then ran back to the camera and replaced the cap.
Likewise the Russian Princess in 1913 and the couple in 1934 sound more like self-portraits (stick to push down the shutter on a distant camera).
A selfie is a shot taken with the camera actually in the hand, so I’ll back up @ant_pruitt on that, not a camera set up at a distance on a flat surface or a tripod.
Before the early 20th Century, it would be very difficult to make a selfie (holding the camera facing yourself), the focal distance was generally too long, the cameras too heavy (several kilos) and the exposure time too long (from several seconds to several minutes). Try holding a 5Kg dumbell at arms length for 30 seconds without it shaking!
In the 30s and 40s, it would probably have been possible, but we are talking about the first officially recognised selfie (as opposed to a self-portrait), so it is a picture that has been shown publicly and acknowledged as the first selfie. Certainly by the late 60s or early 70s, it was a regular occurrence, especially with the advent of the (relatively) compact and lightweight Polaroid cameras from the 60s on and has been captured into popular culture by many films and TV series from that period.
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I don’t agree that the user has to hold the camera for it to be a selfie. This mirror picture from the Wikipedia article, from 1920, qualifies as far as I am concerned:
Wikipedia Article 1920 mirror photo of Japanese couple
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Again, mirror photo or self-portrait, but not a selfie.
For me, a selfie is the camera pointing at the camera operator and held in the hand / on a stick.
Mirrors, tripods, timed shutter release and other types of photo fall into different categories. The selfie is a category for itself and is, usually, a spontaneous shot with the camera operator taking a hand-shot of themselves with the camera facing inwards.
Okay, so what do you call what I would call a “mirror selfie” then? It’s fairly common (or so I am led to believe) to take very revealing body photos in a mirror for use on dating and hookup apps. I’ve always heard these called mirror selfie (or “d**k pics” 
)
I’d call it “uncouth”, but then I’m old-school. 
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“melfie” or “milfie” would probably have other connotations.
But in the melfie, the camera is still being held and still pointed at the operator although indirectly.
off the mirror, off the scoreboard, off the backboard, nothing but melf.
I can’t imagine a sillier conversation.
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I just read the reddit and article. Didn’t really assume it was “first”, but did like the idea of the shot and the note written. 
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If you didn’t assume it was first you should have said so in your comments on air. As I recall you said it was “the first”. In my opinion, you owe the TWIG listeners an on air explanation.
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@Leo Don’t be so defensive.
We count on you and your co-hosts for reliable information. Ant made a mistake. Is it too much to ask that he clear it up during the next show? Like the Corrections we see in the NY Times, Washington Post, etc.
TBH if he didn’t think it was the first, he should not have said it. He could have still talked about the post and why it was interesting.
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Maybe this episode should be renamed Alanhp is Unimpressed?
In other news…Former President Trump was seen with his pants on backwards.
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I’ve listened to this episode twice now (I’m playing catchup).
I guess I keep missing the reference.
Who is Bob?
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It’s a reference to something that happened before the show I think. I read a nasty email from “Bob.”
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Ah, thanks for responding, sir. Curiosity has been satiated and closure achieved.
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