A collection of the most notable tweets that made history

Twitter and its pithy character format for messages shared across social media have produced some pearls that have at times had a global impact. We take a look at some of the most memorable tweets in the platform’s history.

A collection of the most notable:

The first tweet: Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (@jack) sent the first tweet, an automated message, in March 2006, saying “just setting up my twttr.” That same day, he sent the first live tweet, “inviting coworkers.”

From orbit: Astronaut Mike Massimino (@astro_mike) sent the first tweet from space in May 2009. “From orbit: Launch was awesome!! I am feeling great, working hard, & enjoying the magnificent views, the adventure of a lifetime has begun!”

Royal wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton told the world in November 2010 they were getting married via the royal account @ClarenceHouse: “The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton.” The wedding took place in April 2011.

Bin Laden raid: IT consultant Sohaib Athar unwittingly revealed the US-led raid in May 2011 that would kill Osama Bin Laden was taking place.

“Helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1AM (is a rare event)” he wrote on @ReallyVirtual.

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Obama return: US President Barack Obama (@BarackObama) announced his election victory in November 2012 along with a picture of him and his wife, Michelle, hugging. “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.”

The post was “retweeted” more than 800,000 times, becoming at the time the most shared Twitter message and remains one of the most shared tweets.

Pope tweets: Pope Benedict XVI (@Pontifex) launched the first papal Twitter account in December 2012 with this message: “Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart.” 

CIA humour: The US Central Intelligence Agency launched its account @cia in June 2014 with a note of irony:  “We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.”

#JeSuisCharlie: After the jihadist attack in Paris on the magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, graphic designer Joachim Roncin (@joachimroncin) devised a slogan, “Je Suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), in white capital letters on a black background that he placed on Twitter.

Accompanied by #JeSuisCharlie hashtag, within hours it was picked up around France and beyond, becoming the totem of solidarity rallies. Many sent tweets using the hashtag to show solidarity.

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#MeToo: American actress Alyssa Milano called via her Twitter account @Alyssa_Milano in October 2017 on women who had been sexually harassed to speak out. “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet” she wrote, sparking what became the #MeToo movement against such abuse. Many shared tweets under the hashtag which remains one of the most memorable and easily recognisable hashtags to date.

Trump the serial tweeter:  Via @realDonaldTrump, the former US president showered his 88 million followers with tweets during his 2017-2021 presidency. One of his most spectacular targeted the nuclear threat posed by North Korea under Kim Jong-un: 

“Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”

In January 2021 Twitter suspended Trump’s account after the deadly Capitol riot and fears he was inciting violence, following months of tweets disputing Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th”, his last Tweet read.

‘Black Panther’ death: A tweet on @chadwickboseman in August 2020 announced the death of 43-year-old US actor Chadwick Boseman, the first black superhero to get his own standalone film in the Marvel franchise “Black Panther”.

The tweet quickly became and remains the most “liked” in the history of the platform. 

pic.twitter.com/aZ2JzDf5ai

— Chadwick Boseman (@chadwickboseman) August 29, 2020

Elon Musk buys Twitter:  On Friday, the world’s richest man Elon Musk took control of Twitter for $44 billion (44 billion euros), tweeting “the bird is freed”, a reference to the company’s iconic avian logo.