# The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012

> The opening clue of the first round. Its hidden text, read with a text editor, led to the next step; the original file as posted is kept only in solvers'…

Source: https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301/artifacts/ART0D7R78BM7F6H/the-first-image-posted-to-4chan-in-january-2012  
Publisher: Mysteries Department  
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (credit Mysteries Department and link the page)  

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[Mysteries](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries)[Cicada 3301](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301)[Artifacts](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301#artifacts)The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012

**ART** 0D7R78BM7F6H·Artifact · document

# The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012

PhotographPublic domainPosted to 4chan about 4 January 2012

[Cite]

[![The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012: picture](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/cicada-3301-a-first-image-c0)](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/cicada-3301-a-first-image-c0?w=2000)

The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012: picture

[![The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012: picture](https://mysteriesdept.com/media/folio/cicada-3301-a-first-image-c0)][![The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012: photo](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/a381daf635bc78d8a5b5ddbc25b55d459bc823fb2e02d0012627870ee1240573.jpg)]

The opening clue of the first round. Its hidden text, read with a text editor, led to the next step; the original file as posted is kept only in solvers' archives.

Cicada 3301, 2012. Public domain

## Copies 2

**Picture** Cicada 3301 · commons.wikimedia.org · Public domain (text only, below the threshold of originality)1 step from the original

[Where it's published](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cicada3301%27s_First_Message.jpg)

**Photo** Cicada 3301 (uploaded from the Uncovering Cicada wiki) · commons.wikimedia.org · 2012-01-04 · Public domain (text only, below the threshold of originality)Primary source: [File:Cicada3301's First Message.jpg](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D7R6W506NC3/file-cicada3301s-first-message-jpg)1 step from the original

[Where it's published](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cicada3301%27s_First_Message.jpg)[Download](https://mysteriesdept.com/files/d/a381daf635bc78d8a5b5ddbc25b55d459bc823fb2e02d0012627870ee1240573)

## Sources 1

- [Cicada: Solving the Web's Deepest Mystery](https://mysteriesdept.com/sources/SRC0D7R6T6G6N3D/cicada-solving-the-webs-deepest-mystery)_SRC_

## Cite it

```
Mysteries Department. (2026). The first image, posted to 4chan in January 2012 [Artifact ART0D7R78BM7F6H]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ART0D7R78BM7F6H
```

Key

**ART** 0D7R78BM7F6H

Kind

Document

Held by

Digital only; copies kept by solvers' archives

Dated

posted to 4chan about 4 January 2012

Licence

Public domain (text only, below the threshold of originality)

Part of

[Cicada 3301](https://mysteriesdept.com/mysteries/cicada-3301)

The record

Every record is open data. Take this one as JSON, with its links and its history.

[JSON](https://mysteriesdept.com/api/v1/records/ART0D7R78BM7F6H)