On this day: Facebook is founded - The Jewish Chronicle

Who can remember a time when a wall was just a wall, when photos were private not tagged for the world to see, and when events had to be organised with phone calls or paper invitations?

Mark Zuckerberg was a 19-year-old Jewish student working out of his Harvard dorm-room when he founded the social network that became Facebook.

Now with more than 600 million users around the globe, Facebook appears in every language and appeals to almost every demographic. It is credited with having helped Barack Obama win election as US President in 2008, and has emerged as a vital tool for protest in Iran and Egypt.

Its creation is the stuff of legend – the internet prank intended as revenge against an ex-girlfriend that spawned one of the most influential websites in history. The subject of a book by Ben Mezrich, now an Oscar-winning film directed by Aaron Sorkin, Facebook has made its shy founder famous and changed social life forever.