Instagram's fifth birthday: gallery of highlights

October 7, 2015Oct 7, 2015, 1:37 PM GMT+1

David Beckham celebrated his 40th birthday by joining Instagram – and immediately set a new record by amassing one million followers in just one day. The handsome father-of-four made his debut on the site sharing a bare-chested selfie that has received one million likes, and now regularly uses Instagram to upload photos and videos of Britain's most famous family.David also has one of the most followed UK accounts – the top five are Harry Styles, David Beckham, Niall Horan, Gareth Bale and Liam Payne.

One of the most famous Instagram photos of all time is Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's wedding kiss. The bride uploaded the image shortly after tying the knot with Kanye in Florence, and her followers quickly helped send it into the record books. The photograph, which shows the newlyweds kissing in front of a wall of flowers, received 2.4million likes and became the most liked photograph on Instagram in 2014.

Kim's Instagram record was broken in June of this – by her younger sister Kendall Jenner. The 19-year-old model uploaded an image showing her lying on the floor with her hair arranged into hearts, and in less than five months it had secured a massive 3.1million likes. "Take that KimYe!" Kendall joked on Twitter when she heard the news.

When it comes to record-breakers though, Taylor Swift is the reigning queen. The 25-year-old has the highest number of followers on Instagram – 49 million people around the world follow Taylor's updates. And she doesn't disappoint; the pop star sent her fans into a frenzy when she shared the first photo of herself with boyfriend Calvin Harris on the site, confirming their rumoured romance.

Caitlyn Jenner has one of the most talked-about Instagram images of the year. She used the photo sharing site to proudly introduce herself to the world – making her debut on Instagram by uploading her Vanity Fair cover. "Everybody has challenges in dealing with life. I'm so happy after such a long struggle and finally living my true self. Welcome to the world Caitlyn. It feels so good. Can't wait for you to get to know her/me," she wrote alongside.

Kim Kardashian might have had the most liked photo of 2014, but over in the UK there was another star making headlines on Instagram. Cheryl Cole shocked her fans in July last year when she revealed she had married her boyfriend of three months, Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.The X Factor star, who now goes by the name Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, caused a media frenzy when she shared a photo showing both her engagement and wedding rings. "I usually do not discuss my personal life but to stop the speculation I want to share my happy news… Jean-Bernard and I married on 7/7/14," she confirmed alongside. "We are very happy and excited to move forward with our lives together."

Of course, celebrities often use Instagram to make big announcements or share important moments – Justin Timberlake did just that when he unveiled the first photo of his son with Jessica Biel. Two weeks after their baby boy's arrival, Justin posted an adorable photo of Silas Randall Timberlake in the arms of his mother. "The Timberlakes are ready!! GO GRIZZ!" he captioned the snapshot.

One man managed to make history this year with his baby photos. Mario Testino was given the honour of taking the very first official pictures of Princess Charlotte at her christening, and went on to upload five striking images from the big day showing the little Princess with her proud parents, Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge, and Charlotte's big brother, Prince George.

The British royal family aren't the only VIPs appearing on Instagram; Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama are America's first President and First Lady to have Instagram accounts, which they use to highlight their work, as well as share more intimate behind-the-scenes moments from inside the White House.