140 character social network, Twitter is one short of a decade long existence. Introduced as an idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group, Twitter today has grown to more than 284 million users worldwide and is expanding. While in India, Twitter has steered clear from sharing local numbers, but the country happens to be one of the fastest growing market.
Over the nine years the network has evolved, controversies have followed, mankind has changed the way it communicates but Twitter continues to stay the way it was. Celebrating the occasion, Gabriel Stricker, Chief Communications Officer, wrote on the company blog: “At our nine-year mark, we continue to say that Twitter is what it is because of the people who use it. After all, it’s because of you that we have product features like hashtags and best practices like live-Tweeting. Today, these are deeply rooted elements of Twitter and part of mainstream cultural vernacular.”
On this occasion we look back at the nine landmark moments shared by Twitter that have defined the medium as well as history.
2006: First tweet on Twitter by Co-Founder Jack Dorsey
just setting up my twttr
— Jack (@jack) March 21, 2006
2007: Early user Chris Messina proposed the use of a hashtag
how do you feel about using # (pound) for groups. As in #barcamp [msg]?
— Chris Messina® (@chrismessina) August 23, 2007
2008: NASA used Twitter to break the news, when Mars Phoenix Lander found ice on Mars
Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!
— MarsPhoenix (@MarsPhoenix) June 20, 2008
2009: Janis Krums happened to be on a ferry when a plane went down in the Hudson River
http://twitpic.com/135xa – There’s a plane in the Hudson. I’m on the ferry going to pick up the people. Crazy.
— Jānis Krūms (@jkrums) January 15, 2009
2010: Clarence House, the Prince of Wales’ private office, created a Twitter account to announce Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton.
The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton – www.princeofwales.gov.uk
— Clarence House (@ClarenceHouse) November 16, 2010
2011: Sohaib Athar inadvertently live-tweeted the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.
Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event).
— Sohaib Athar (@ReallyVirtual) May 1, 2011
2012: Obama wins second presidential win and within hours it became the most retweeted for the year.
Four more years. pic.twitter.com/bAJE6Vom
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) November 7, 2012
2013: Two bombs shook the Boston Marathon – and the world
BREAKING: A witness reports hearing two loud booms near the Boston Marathon finish line.
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) April 15, 2013
2014: Ellen DeGeneres starry Oscars photo
If only Bradley’s arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
2015: Je Suis Charlie became the cry for free speech after the attack at the offices of French magazine Charlie Hebdo
— joachim (@joachimroncin) January 7, 2015
2014: Adding Narendra Modi’s victory tweet to the list, the most retweeted tweet ever from India
India has won! भारत की विजय। अच्छे दिन आने वाले हैं।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 16, 2014
Happy Birthday Twitter! Stay the way you have been so far.
