The social network Twitter, bought by the American entrepreneur Elon Musk, has conveyed messages that have been widely shared, sometimes even changing the course of history. Here are some of the most notable.
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Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (@jack) posts the first tweet, “just setting up my twttr.”, before a first real message: “I invite my colleagues”.
Astronaut Mike Massimo (@astro_mike) wrote the first tweet from space: “In orbit: launch was awesome!! I’m in great shape, work hard
The engagement between Prince William and Kate Middleton is formalized by the @ClarenceHouse account: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton”. The wedding will be celebrated in April 2011.
Sohaib Athar, IT consultant in Pakistan tweets on the @ReallyVirtual account: “Helicopter hovering over Abbottabad at 1am (very unusual)”. Without knowing it, he is one of the first witnesses to relate the American raid that led to the death of Osama bin Laden.
On the night of the presidential election, @BarackObama tweets “Four more years”, accompanied by a photo of him hugging his wife Michelle. The message, used by several media to announce the result of the ballot, then becomes the most shared tweet in the history of the network.
Pope Benedict XVI introduced a millennial institution to the social network by creating the @pontifex account, then taken over by his successor Francis. “My dear friends, I am happy to connect with you via Twitter. Thank you for your generous reactions. I bless you all with great heart”.
The American intelligence agency launches its @cia account with humor: “We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet”.
Internet user @joachimroncin launches the hashtag
American actress Alyssa Milano publishes a message on her account @Alyssa_Milano inviting women victims of sexual harassment to testify: “If you have been harassed or sexually assaulted, write “me too” in response to this tweet”. This keyword, created in 2006, but fallen into oblivion, frees the voice of women, in the wake of the Weinstein affair.
On August 29, 2020, a tweet announced the death of American actor Chadwick Boseman on his account @chadwickboseman. Died at the age of 43 from colon cancer, Boseman is the first black person to have played a Marvel superhero on screen, in “Black Panther”. This tweet remains the most liked in the history of the social network.
With his @realDonaldTrump account, the former American president communicated directly with his 88 million subscribers, regularly arousing heated controversy. On January 8, two days after the invasion of the Capitol by his supporters who contest the election of Joe Biden, Twitter decides to ban him in the face of “the risk of further incitement to violence”. In his final tweet, Trump said, “To everyone who asked, I will not be attending the Inauguration on January 20.”
On October 27, 2022, Elon Musk formalized the takeover of Twitter by posting on his @elonmusk account: “the bird is released”. The entrepreneur, who has made headlines several times with controversial tweets, presents himself as an ardent defender of freedom of expression and wishes to relax the moderation of content.
