A few words on Twitter’s 9th birthday

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 such as live-Tweeting. Today, these are deeply rooted elements of Twitter and part of mainstream cultural vernacular.

With our thanks to you, today we look back at some of the landmark moments you’ve created – moments that define our history, and perhaps yours.

A history of Twitter through Tweets

2006: Co-founder Jack Dorsey Tweeted first, when the service was called “Twttr.”

https://twitter.com/jack/status/20

2007: Early user Chris Messina proposed the use of a hashtag to denote people at the same live event.

https://twitter.com/chrismessina/status/223115412

2008: When the Mars Phoenix Lander found ice on Mars, NASA used Twitter to break the news:

https://twitter.com/MarsPhoenix/status/839088619

2009: Early user Janis Krums happened to be on a ferry when a plane went down in the Hudson River.

https://twitter.com/jkrums/status/1121915133

2010: In a royal first, Clarence House, the Prince of Wales’ private office, created a Twitter account to announce Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton.

https://twitter.com/ClarenceHouse/status/4489951894835200

2011: Up late one night, Sohaib Athar inadvertently live-tweeted the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/ReallyVirtual/status/64780730286358528

2012: Before he appeared publicly to affirm his second presidential win, President Obama noted it on Twitter. And within hours it became the most retweeted for the year.

https://twitter.com/BarackObama/statuses/266031293945503744

2013: Two bombs shook the Boston Marathon – and the world. As news of the blasts and the manhunt spread, Twitter became crucial for journalists, police and citizens alike.

https://twitter.com/BostonGlobe/status/323872661866442753

2014: Twitter as the perfect companion to TV is evidenced by the most retweeted Tweet to date: @TheEllenShow’s starry Oscars photo.

https://blog.twitter.com/2014/the-2014-yearontwitter

2015: As news broke about the attack at the offices of French magazine @Charlie_Hebdo, people everywhere turned to Twitter. @JoachimRoncin’s Tweet soon became a rallying cry for free speech.

https://twitter.com/joachimroncin/status/552794930725539840

We will continue to thank you and celebrate Twitter for allowing us reflect both on the world at large and the world immediately around us.