I can't confirm Cracked as the pioneers of the listicle, but ca. 2007 Digg was the altar[1] of listicles and Cracked was the leading source for most of them. [

I can't confirm Cracked as the pioneers of the listicle, but ca. 2007 Digg was the altar[1] of listicles and Cracked was the leading source for most of them. [1] This has been beaten to death already, but the top subreddits definitely have a 2007-2009 Digg vibe.