History Today: When Facebook made its debut and changed how we connect forever

Happy Birthday, Facebook! In 2004, a Harvard second-year student, Mark Zuckerberg, launched ‘The Facebook’, which eventually became the world’s largest social network.

Are you intrigued by history? If you enjoy learning about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers’ ongoing series, History Today, is your ideal resource for discovering key moments in history.

On February 4, 1922, a police station in the village of Chauri Chaura was set on fire, leading Mahatma Gandhi to suspend his non-cooperation movement, which he had initiated about two years earlier. Also, on this day in 1789, electors unanimously selected George Washington to be the first president of the United States.

Let’s take a look at these events in detail:

Facebook is born

On February 4, 2004, Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg launched ‘The Facebook,’ a social media website designed to help Harvard students connect. Within a day, over a thousand people had signed up, marking the start of something much bigger.

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In 2004 Mark Zuckerberg launched ‘The Facebook’, which eventually became the world’s largest social network.

The platform enabled users to create profiles, upload photos, and interact with fellow students.

Now simply called Facebook, the site quickly grew into one of the most influential social media platforms in history. Today, it ranks among the world’s most valuable companies, with over three billion monthly active users.

On the night of its launch, Zuckerberg and his roommates watched as an estimated 1,200-1,500 students registered within the first 24 hours. Facebook soon expanded beyond Harvard, reaching other Boston-area universities and the Ivy League that spring.

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By the end of the year, Facebook had hit one million users, secured a $500,000 investment from Peter Thiel, and led Zuckerberg to leave Harvard to run the company from its new base in California.

Chauri Chaura incident of 1922

On February 2, 1922, a peaceful protest took place in Chauri Chaura, a village in Uttar Pradesh, where locals gathered to protest against rising food prices. However, the situation took a violent turn when the police arrested Bhagwan Ahir, a leading volunteer, along with several others.

On February 4, the conflict intensified when a large group of protesters approached the police station, demanding the release of the detainees. Initially, the police fired warning shots into the air to disperse the crowd, but when that failed, they opened fire on the protesters. This provoked the crowd, leading them to retaliate by throwing stones.

The clash resulted in the deaths of three civilians and injuries to several others. The crowd, enraged by the police response, set fire to the police station, where the officers had sought refuge after being overwhelmed by the protesters. In total, 23 policemen lost their lives in the attack.

The violence in Chauri Chaura deeply affected Mahatma Gandhi, and on February 12, he called off the non-cooperation movement.

Later, hundreds of protesters were arrested, and 228 individuals were put on trial. Six of the accused died during the proceedings, and 172 were sentenced to death.

Following a hastily conducted trial that lasted only eight months, the Allahabad High Court upheld the death sentences for 19 individuals in April 1923. Another 110 were sentenced to life imprisonment in the infamous Andaman Islands (Kalapani), while others received long prison terms.

The United States gets its first president

On February 4, 1789, the electors gathered to cast their votes in the first-ever presidential election of the United States, and George Washington was unanimously chosen as the first president.

Washington, praised for his leadership as the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and for presiding over the Constitutional Convention in 1787, was seen as the only suitable candidate for this critical role.

Out of 72 electors, 69 participated in the election, with each one casting their vote for Washington, making him the only president in US history to receive a unanimous vote from the Electoral College.

At the time, there were no formal political parties, and electors cast two votes - one for president and one for vice president - without specifying which was for which role. Washington’s closest rival, John Adams, received 34 votes and was elected vice president.

This Day, That Year

1801: John Marshall assumed office as chief justice of the United States, a position he would hold for an unprecedented 34 years.

1913: American activist Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man led to the US civil rights movement, was born.

1938: Birju Maharaj, one of India’s greatest Kathak dancers, composers, and singers, was born.

1948: Ceylon (now known as Sri Lanka) gained independence from Britain.

1974: Patricia Hearst, the 19-year-old newspaper heiress, was kidnapped in Berkeley, California, by the radical Symbionese Liberation Army.

1976: A devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck Guatemala, killing more than 23,000 people.

2014: Satya Nadella was appointed the CEO of Microsoft.