when did one direction start

One Direction started in 2010. The group was formed on July 23, 2010, during the British singing competition The X Factor, where five members—Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik—were initially solo contestants but then brought together as a band by the judges because they were seen as too talented to let go as solo artists.