History of FaceBook, from Harvard to Wall Street

Facebook built by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004 and now transformed into a giant of IT world is preparing to sell its shares to public.

This is important dates in history of Facebook, who are ready to submit initial public offering and try to collect at least five billion dollars, as reported by AFP.

2004

• January: Mark Zuckerberg, 19 year-old computer whiz at Harvard University, from his dorm room began to develop an online network originally intended to connect with Harvard student.
• February: Thefacebook.com (Called like this), launched by Zuckerberg and his three roommates and classmates at Harvard: Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz, and Eduardo Saverin.
• May: Zuckerberg moved to Silicon Valley and decided not to return to Harvard for fall semester.
• July: Facebook received its first investment: 500 thousand U.S. dollars from one of founders of PayPal, Peter Thiel.
• September: Facebook adds “Wall” for user profile.

2005

• April: Facebook gets a second round of funding amounting to U.S. $ 12.7 million from Accel Partners.
• August: Thefacebook.com officially changed its name to Facebook.

2006

• February: Viacom offers to buy up $ 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, but rejected. Yahoo! also made an unsuccessful bid one billion U.S. dollars.
• September: Facebook add a “News Feed” and is open to anyone over age of 13 years.

2007

• September: Facebook launches U.S. $ 10 million fund, to provide money to companies or individuals who want to build applications.
• October: Microsoft taking a stake worth 240 million dollars in Facebook in a deal assess social networking at 15 billion U.S. dollars. Facebook has 50 million members.
• December: Zuckerberg apologized for “mistakes” in launching a new advertising platform called “Beacon” which tracks purchases made by Facebook members and let their friends know what they are buying.

2008

• February: A 65 million dollar settlement reached with twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss over allegations that Zuckerberg stole their idea for Facebook during at Harvard. Facebook launched a Spanish website.
• March: Sheryl Sandberg, a Google chief executive, hired as chief operating officer of Facebook. French and German Facebook site launched.
• April: Facebook replace Myspace become most popular networking site in the world.
• August: Facebook membership reached 100 million.
• September: Zuckerberg become 400 richest Americans by Forbes magazine with a fortune estimated at 1.5 billion U.S. dollars.
• October: Facebook opened its international headquarters in Dublin, Ireland.

2009

• March: Facebook launched its first mobile application for site (Also for Android Gadget).
• April: Membership Facebook reaches 200 million.
• May: Russian internet company Digital Sky Technologies invested 200 million U.S. dollars on Facebook in a deal that values company at 10 billion U.S. dollars.
• September: Membership reached 300 million. Zuckerberg said social networking has become a “positive cash flow,” which means their income was insufficient to cover operating costs.
• December: Electronic Privacy Information Center, Center for Digital Democracy and other U.S. Federal Trade Commission asked to see Facebook privacy policy, claims to have tricked user to protection of their personal data when it changed privacy settings.

2010

• February: Facebook membership reached 400 million.
• May: Pakistan blocked access to Facebook after a race encourages users to post caricatures of Prophet Muhammad on site.
• July: Membership reached 500 million. Lady Gaga became first with 10 million fans on Facebook, beyond few days ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama.
• August: Facebook launches Facebook Places, which lets members use mobile devices to share their whereabouts.
• October: “The Social Network,” David Fincher directed film about origins of Facebook, success in cinemas. This film, written by Aaron Sorkin and starring Jesse Eisenberg and pop star Justin Timberlake is achieved box office. Nominated for eight Oscars, and won three: for “Best adapted screenplay, original score and film editing”.
• November: Email address Facebook.com launched.
• December: Time magazine gives Zuckerberg title “People of the ear” to “change way we live our lives every day.”

2011

• January: A private stock offering generates 1.5 billion dollars from investors and value of Facebook at 50 billion U.S. dollars.
• February: Facebook announced plans to move from Palo Alto to a campus area that once basis for Sun Microsystems in Menlo Park nearby.
• April: Facebook began offering a similar program of daily transactions for online bargains made popular by Groupon but closing program in August. Obama to visit Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, taking questions from Zuckerberg, employees and an online audience.
• September: page timeline introduced which allows Facebook users to change their profiles into interactive digital scrapbooks that tell story of their lives.
• November: Facebook agreed to tighten privacy policy and submit to external audits in a settlement with U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

2012

• January: Facebook filed for initial public offering (IPO) that wants to raise at least five billion dollars.