This week, Twitter turns 10. Over the next five days we’ll be exploring how far the microblogging service has come, the challenges it faces going forward and some of its key moments along the way.
March 21 marks ten years since Twitter came to life. Since its 2006 arrival, the platform has arguably changed the way we express ourselves online, keeping our worldly thoughts within its 140 character constraint.
checking out twttr
— Ev Williams (@ev) March 21, 2006
just setting up my twttr
— jack (@jack) March 21, 2006
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What a lot of people don’t realize, Twitter — once Twttr — stemmed from a startup called Odeo, which was meant to be a podcast platform. Evan Williams, Noah Glass and Biz Stone were about to launch when Apple crushed their dreams with the release of iTunes podcasting.
It was at this point in time that Jack Dorsey, who was an employee at Odeo, reared his head with the bare bones idea for what we now call Twitter.
Once the idea was fleshed out – with Biz Stone overseeing Dorsey’s work – Twttr spun off from Odeo (now Obvious Corp) and became Twitter Inc.
Along the way it has spawned the hashtag, mentions and created more than its fair share of viral memes.
To celebrate ten years of life in 140 characters, we’ve taken the liberty of pulling together some of the best and worst first tweets so you can see how far we’ve come.
working on iphones via 'hahlo' and 'pocket tweets' – fun!
— Twitter (@Twitter) July 11, 2007
https://twitter.com/pmarca/status/59254912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
What's up…tbone in the house!!
— travis kalanick (@travisk) October 27, 2007
Note: The founder of Uber likes to be called ‘tbone’ for future articles.
Please ignore prior tweets, as that was someone pretending to be me :) This is actually me.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 4, 2010
…working, working, working.
…but having fun— Ben Silbermann (@8en) February 13, 2008
Rihanna who? The founder of Pinterest was way ahead of the musical times.
I just signed on to Twitter today. Don't want it or need it, but don't wanna be out of the action!
— stan lee (@TheRealStanLee) August 13, 2009
Stan Lee – summing up why everyone has social media accounts.
I'm 01100110 01100101 01100101 01101100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 01111001 00001010
— Google (@Google) February 26, 2009
Yes, Google sent its first tweet in binary. “Feeling lucky?” Read into that as you will.
My first tweet. No longer a virgin. Be gentle!
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) December 6, 2013
I am told that people have been twittering on my behalf, so I thought a brief visit was in order just to prevent any more confusion!
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 17, 2009
Twittering, you say?
Brewing coffee
— Ryan Holmes (@invoker) March 6, 2007
email. hardcore email.
— Alexis Ohanian ? (@alexisohanian) March 5, 2007
Hardcore tweet from the founder of Reddit.
enjoying a house where everyone else is sleeping
— Sheryl Sandberg (@sherylsandberg) March 22, 2009
We’re assuming Sheryl Sandberg was in her own home.
Visited Retail Stores in Palo Alto today. Seeing so many happy customers reminds us of why we do what we do.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 20, 2013
Thinking we're only one signature away from ending the war in Iraq.
Learn more at http://www.barackobama.com— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) April 29, 2007
Be sure to tune in and watch Donald Trump on Late Night with David Letterman as he presents the Top Ten List tonight!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 4, 2009
From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!
— Mike Massimino (@Astro_Mike) May 12, 2009
While this isn’t the astronaut’s first tweet, it was the first ever tweet sent from beyond earth, which is pretty impressive. In the seven years since this we’ve become accustomed to astronauts tweeting images and updates from outer space.
Decided to finally sign up for Twitter. I will use this for average, everyday stuff about my exciting life, and make another for ModRetro.
— Palmer Luckey (@PalmerLuckey) May 6, 2011
A pre-Oculus Luckey.
Having dinner with @pmolyneux @nobu in London. Great catching up, exciting to hear about #22cans.
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) March 28, 2012
Dear friends, I thank you from my heart and I ask you to continue to pray for me.
Pope Francis.— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 17, 2013
It’s cold and will only get worse but at the moment it’s bearable.
Holly and Sam are coping well as are the rest of the crew.
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) October 22, 2008
I wonder what ever happened to Branson’s romantic novel?
[Facebook Blog] Make Your Voice Heard: Vote!: Technology is giving more and more people a.. http://tinyurl.com/44fr5z
— Facebook (@facebook) September 26, 2008
Facebook didn’t quite grasp the character limit at first.
Twitter is great. I like it almost as much as I like Dell.
— Carl Icahn (@Carl_C_Icahn) June 20, 2013
I'm in Elf waiting for my partners
— Boris @ TNW (@Boris) November 23, 2006
Twitter’s journey to ten has seen its stock slump to an all-time low and continued losses, the departure and subsequent return of Jack Dorsey as CEO and a flatline in signup numbers.
So while it might be hard to imagine life without Twitter as an outlet for our quips, it’s hard to imagine the company will be the same when it enters its awkward teenage phase.
What was your first tweet? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments.
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