Facebook and hotmail
Two of the most iconic and widely used online services!
Facebook is a social media platform that was launched in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, along with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. Initially, the platform was only available to Harvard students, but it quickly expanded to other colleges and universities, and eventually to the general public.
Facebook allows users to create a personal profile, add friends, share updates and photos, join groups, and participate in discussions. The platform has become an essential part of modern life, with over 2.7 billion monthly active users worldwide.
Hotmail
Hotmail is a web-based email service that was launched in 1996 by Sabeer Bhatia and Jack Smith. It was one of the first free web-based email services, allowing users to access their email accounts from any internet-connected device.
Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft in 1997 and became a subsidiary of the company. In 2012, Microsoft launched Outlook.com, a new email service that replaced Hotmail. Hotmail was eventually phased out and replaced by Outlook.com, but the Hotmail domain name was retained for a while.
Hotmail was known for its simplicity and ease of use, making it a popular choice for those who wanted a free email account. At its peak, Hotmail had over 360 million users worldwide.
Interesting facts
- Facebook's original name was "Thefacebook," and it was initially intended for Harvard students only.
- Hotmail's original name was "Hotmail.com," and it was launched as a free web-based email service.
- Facebook's first logo featured a cartoon character named "Thefacebook," which was later replaced by the iconic blue and white logo we know today.
- Hotmail's popularity led to the creation of the term "spam" to describe unsolicited commercial emails.
- Facebook's IPO in 2012 was one of the largest in history, raising $16 billion.
I hope you found these facts interesting!