History of Facebook in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: July 19, 2026

Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg and his Harvard roommates, Facebook has evolved from a campus-based networking site into a global social media powerhouse. It revolutionized digital connectivity, allowing users to create profiles, share multimedia content, and interact with communities worldwide. The platform operates under the parent company Meta Platforms, Inc., which also owns Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads. Facebook serves as a critical infrastructure for digital advertising, political discourse, and personal communication. Despite its massive influence, the company has faced significant scrutiny regarding user privacy, data security, and its impact on social polarization. Today, Facebook remains a central pillar of the modern internet, continuously integrating new technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality to shape the future of social networking and the metaverse.

2003: Creation of Facemash

In 2003, while attending Harvard University, Mark Zuckerberg developed a website called Facemash. The platform, which invited users to rank the attractiveness of fellow students using photos scraped from online college face books, led to disciplinary action against him, though he ultimately avoided expulsion.

January 2004: Development of TheFacebook

In January 2004, Mark Zuckerberg began coding a new centralized website platform and secured a $1,000 investment from Eduardo Saverin to support the project.

February 4, 2004: Launch of TheFacebook

On February 4, 2004, Mark Zuckerberg officially launched the social networking platform known as TheFacebook.

2004: Facebook Expansion and Corporate Milestones

In 2004, Facebook expanded its user base beyond Harvard to include most universities across the U.S. and Canada, appointed Sean Parker as president, relocated its headquarters to Palo Alto, and secured its first investment from Peter Thiel.

2004: Founding of Facebook

In 2004, Mark Zuckerberg, along with his Harvard College roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, founded the social networking service Facebook.

2005: Facebook Rebranding and Domain Acquisition

In 2005, the company officially changed its name by dropping 'the' after successfully purchasing the domain name Facebook.com.

2006: Development of Photo Tagging Feature

In 2006, Facebook engineers Aaron Sittig and Scott Marlette developed the photo tagging feature, which enables users to label friends in uploaded images.

2006: Platform Opening and News Feed Launch

In 2006, Facebook expanded its accessibility, allowing anyone at least 13 years old with a valid email address to join, and introduced the News Feed feature to enhance user engagement.

2006: Expansion of Facebook Registration Eligibility

In 2006, Facebook updated its registration policy to allow individuals aged 13 and older to create accounts, though specific regions like South Korea, Spain, and Quebec maintained a minimum age requirement of 14.

2007: Selection of Blue as Facebook's Primary Color

Around 2007, it was realized that Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind, leading to the selection of blue as the primary color for the Facebook platform.

2007: Market Dominance and Microsoft Investment

By late 2007, Facebook hosted 100,000 company pages, surpassed MySpace in global traffic, and secured a $240 million investment from Microsoft for a 1.6% equity stake.

2007: Launch of Facebook Pages

In 2007, Facebook launched Facebook Pages, a platform feature designed specifically for brands and celebrities to facilitate direct engagement and interaction with their fanbases.

February 9, 2009: Introduction of the Like Button

On February 9, 2009, Facebook launched the iconic "thumbs up" Like button, allowing users to interact with status updates, media, and advertisements to increase content visibility in News Feeds.

June 2009: Introduction of Usernames

During June 2009, Facebook implemented the 'Usernames' feature, which enabled users to select a unique nickname for their profile URL to simplify the process of sharing their page with others.

February 23, 2010: Facebook Granted News Feed Patent

On February 23, 2010, Facebook secured a patent for specific functionalities within its News Feed, particularly focusing on interactive links that allow users to engage in the activities of others.

June 2010: Extension of the Like Button to Comments

In June 2010, the functionality of the Like button was expanded, allowing users to like specific comments made on the platform.

January 2011: Optional HTTPS Security Introduced

In January 2011, Facebook introduced an option for users to utilize the more secure HTTPS protocol instead of the standard HTTP for browsing the site.

September 2011: Launch of Facebook Timeline

In September 2011, Facebook revamped individual user profiles into the 'Timeline' layout, which provided a chronological feed of a user's content, introduced customizable cover photos, and expanded user privacy settings.

2011: Photo Tagging Patent Approval

After being developed several years prior, the photo tagging feature for Facebook was officially granted a patent in 2011.

June 7, 2012: Launch of Facebook App Center

On June 7, 2012, Facebook officially introduced the App Center, a centralized store designed to assist users in discovering various games and software applications available on the platform.

November 2012: Default HTTPS Implementation Begun

Starting in November 2012, Facebook began the process of making HTTPS the default encryption protocol for all user sessions.

2012: Facebook Monolithic Architecture and Release Workflow

In 2012, Facebook build engineer Chuck Rossi detailed that the platform operated as a single monolithic application, compiling into a 1.5 GB binary blob. This process was supported by a custom BitTorrent-based distribution system that allowed for daily updates and deployments without any downtime, typically taking 30 minutes in total to build and release.

2012: Initial Public Offering and Instagram Acquisition

In 2012, Facebook held one of the largest IPOs in technology history and completed the acquisition of the photo-sharing platform Instagram.

2013: Site-wide HTTPS Switch Completion

By the year 2013, Facebook officially completed its site-wide transition to HTTPS, ensuring that the secure protocol was implemented for every user.

February 2014: Expansion of Gender Settings

In February 2014, Facebook updated its platform to include a custom gender input field, enabling users to select from a diverse range of gender identities and specify their preferred pronouns.

March 20, 2014: Facebook announces Hack programming language

On March 20, 2014, Facebook unveiled Hack, an open-source programming language that the company had already implemented and rigorously tested within its own infrastructure before its official public announcement.

May 2014: Introduction of Profile Information Request Feature

In May 2014, Facebook launched an "ask" button that allows users to request missing profile information from others, such as relationship status, hometown, or location, with a single click.

2014: Expansion into Messaging and Virtual Reality

In 2014, Facebook further consolidated its market power by acquiring the messaging service WhatsApp and the virtual reality hardware company Oculus VR.

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May 13, 2015: Launch of Instant Articles

On May 13, 2015, Facebook partnered with major news organizations to introduce Instant Articles, a feature that enables users to read news articles directly within the Facebook mobile news feed without needing to navigate to external websites.

February 2016: Launch of Facebook Reactions

In February 2016, Facebook expanded the original Like button into a broader set of "Reactions," providing users with five additional emoji-based emotional expressions including Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, and Angry.

2016: Political Manipulation During the 2016 U.S. Elections

During the 2016 U.S. elections, Facebook faced significant criticism for its role in facilitating political manipulation on its platform, which raised concerns about the company's influence on democratic processes.

January 2017: Launch of Facebook Stories

In January 2017, Facebook introduced the Facebook Stories feature for iOS and Android users in Ireland, allowing them to share photos and videos that expire after 24 hours in a dedicated section above the news feed.

October 11, 2017: Introduction of 3D Posts

On October 11, 2017, Facebook launched a new feature called 3D Posts, which provided users and developers with the capability to upload and share interactive 3D assets directly on the platform.

January 11, 2018: News Feed Algorithm Shift

On January 11, 2018, Facebook announced a major change to its News Feed algorithm, shifting its focus to prioritize content shared by friends and family while reducing the visibility of posts from media organizations.

2018: Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal

In 2018, the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal surfaced, exposing the unauthorized harvesting of user information to manipulate electoral outcomes. This revelation resulted in international condemnation, significant regulatory penalties, and formal government hearings.

February 2020: News Licensing Investment Pledge

In February 2020, Facebook committed to spending $1 billion over three years to license news content from publishers, a move intended to address global regulatory pressure regarding the compensation of news outlets for content shared on the platform.

April 2020: Introduction of the Care Reaction

During the COVID-19 pandemic in late April 2020, Facebook introduced a new "Care" reaction to allow users to express empathy and support on the platform.

April 2021: Release of Apple's App Tracking Transparency

In late April 2021, Apple released iOS 14.5, which introduced the App Tracking Transparency feature. This update required developers to obtain opt-in permission from users to track their activity across apps and websites, directly impacting Facebook's targeted advertising model despite the company's prior public campaign against the change.

2021: Facebook Rebrands as Meta

During 2021, Facebook officially underwent a corporate rebranding to Meta, a strategic shift designed to emphasize the company's commitment to developing the metaverse, including investments in virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

December 2023: Facebook Reaches 3.07 Billion Monthly Active Users

In December 2023, Facebook officially reported reaching a milestone of approximately 3.07 billion monthly active users across the globe.

July 2025: Facebook's Global Website Traffic Ranking

As of July 2025, Facebook maintained its status as the third-most-visited website globally, with the United States accounting for 23 percent of its total traffic.

2025: Financial Inflation Assessment

In 2025, financial analysts assessed historical values, noting that the $240 million investment from 2007 would be equivalent to $373 million, while the company's valuation of $15 billion would be worth $23.3 billion.