One Direction Is Officially 10 Years Old — Here's How The Boys Commemorated This Magnificent Day

    "To the boys, I love you so much, and I couldn’t be prouder of everything we achieved together."

    Lauren Garafano
    by Lauren Garafano

    BuzzFeed Staff

    To all the Directioners out there: Happy 10 Years of One Direction Day!!!!!

    And for those of you who may not know why July 23 is so special in the 1D universe, get comfy, because I'm about to tell you.

    CBS

    You may remember that Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson got their start on UK's The X Factor.

    ITV

    Originally, they each auditioned as solo performers. However, everything changed on July 23, 2010 — aka the day Simon Cowell decided that instead of competing as solo artists, the five would team up and continue as a group.

    Ian Gavan / Getty Images

    Thus, the birth of One Direction.

    Christopher Polk / Getty Images

    In honor of this momentous day, here's everything the guys have said to commemorate 10 years of the most iconic boy band of the 21st century, IMHO:

    1. Harry shared a heartfelt thank-you to fans, crew members, and the boys:

    2. Niall shared this "mind-blowing" memory:

    3. He also sent a big thank-you to 1D's fans:

    Niall Horan @NiallOfficial

    It’s such a major part of our lives and always will be. Cheers to US today boys and thank you to all you beautiful people who have supported us over the last 10 years. @LiamPayne @Harry_Styles @zaynmalik @Louis_Tomlinson ❤️ #10YearsOfOneDirection

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    4. And an even bigger thank-you to the crew that made every tour and album possible:

    Niall Horan @NiallOfficial

    It’s the 150 person crew of carpenters, lighting, riggers, sound, stage manager Mill that flew the globe with us. it’s our band, our security boys, tour managers, our managers, our label, Sarah cooking our food for us on the road. Today is a day to celebrate those guys also.

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    5. Louis shared this throwback of the first pic One Direction ever took:

    6. He also tweeted this loving little message to the boys and told them how proud he was:

    Louis Tomlinson @Louis_Tomlinson

    Too many incredible memories to mention but not a day goes by that I don't think about how amazing it was. @NiallOfficial @Harry_Styles @LiamPayne @zaynmalik . So proud of you all individually.

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    7. Louis also gave a huge shout-out to the fans, who pretty much made everything possible:

    Louis Tomlinson @Louis_Tomlinson

    And to the fans. The people who gave us all these amazing opportunities. You are incredible, your unmatched level of loyality is something that makes me really really proud.

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    8. Liam shared this text he sent to his dad right after 1D was formed, along with a big thank-you to the boys and the fans:

    Liam @LiamPayne

    What a journey… I had no idea what we were in for when I sent this text to my Dad ten years ago at this exact time the band was formed. Thanks to everyone that’s supported us over the years and thanks to the boys for sharing this with me #10YearsOfOneDirection

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    9. He also shared this cute little supercut of 1D's whole lot of history:

    10. And this little interview snippet where he talked about not taking big moments for granted:

    11. They also posted a *very* nostalgic montage on 1D's official YouTube channel:

    View this video on YouTube
    youtube.com

    They also posted a schedule of all the new videos that'll be posted to their YouTube channel.

    And while the boys haven't confirmed a reunion yet, they've dropped A LOT of signs about one.

    So, thank you, One Direction, for 10 incredible years. ❤️

    Columbia / Syco