It's a format everyone's seen in some form — a meme template about one astronaut shooting another for discovering a startling truth about the world. But it's come in many different iterations since 2016, and its history and use (and relationship to Ohio) is more surprising than most people believe.

Here's the full story of the viral meme "Wait, it’s all Ohio? Always has been."

Where Did ‘Wait, It’s All Ohio? Always Has Been’ Come From?

"Wait, it’s all Ohio? Always has been," often shortened to just "Always has been" when used as an exploitable format, is the name of a meme about two astronauts floating in space. It’s become a redraw format over the years, as well as a format to show a shocking (ironic) realization one could conceivably be killed over discovering.

Ultimately, this meme isn’t about Ohio, since the often-overlooked midwestern U.S. state was added into a later version due to Ohio’s notoriety. Ohio already appears in many memes, with millions on the internet uniting as a collective to complain about it, and more recent trends claiming it’s a surreal land full of anything from cryptids to the many criminal artists formerly known as Florida Man.

Instead, the inclusion of Ohio is merely a reference to one of the most notable early iterations of the meme, where an iFunny user named iOhioan uploaded a version in which the astronaut discovers the world is entirely Ohio. The original inspiration for the format was actually uploaded years prior in 2016 to /r/dankmemes by /u/Wiegand6 (see these below, left and right, respectively).

How Is ‘Always Has Been’ Used In Memes?

Though they appear in various redrawn formats, the basic structure is the same in all of them. It’s a single image in which one astronaut looks at the Earth and makes a startling realization, while the other, out of his view, holds a gun up to the first man’s, saying "always has been."

The most common template nowadays is a more realistic edit of the image’s concept:

While the most traditional way to make an "Always Has Been" meme is to use this easily recognizable template, but since this is also an evolving redraw meme, contributing yet another version is also welcome.

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For the full history of "Wait, it’s all Ohio? Always has been," be sure to check out our entry on the TikTok trend here for even more information.