> In which year did Facebook launch?And the answer: 2004.Photo credit: public domain.While a student at Harvard University, MarkZuckerberg launched what he called "The Facebook." Within the first day, 1,200students had signed up. Today the website has nearly 3 billion monthly usersaround the world.Today, Facebook is the largest social network in the world, yet it certainlydidn't start that way. In 2003, it began at Harvard as Facesmash, which was anonline service much more reminiscent of a modern-day dating site. While it waspopular in its 2-day existence (450 people flocked to the site and voted 22,000times), it was quickly shut down due to Zuckerberg's improper acquisition ofuniversity resources. However, Zuckerberg was not deterred. In January of 2004,he registered a URL called The Facebook, and began developing a new socialnetwork that launched in February 2004. The new site, known as "The Facebook," allowed Harvard students to postphotographs, personal information, class schedules and even clubs they were apart of. Soon, the popularity of the site had expanded beyond Harvard, as otherIvy League institutions such as Yale and Stanford were allowed to join. By June2004 more than 250,000 students from 34 schools had signed up, and by the end ofthe year it had surpassed a million active users. In many ways, Facebook's novel popularity stems from its authenticity. From thebeginning, Zuckerberg insisted that members be transparent about theiridentities by forbidding false profiles. This design allowed for moreperson-to-person contact on the site, which was ultimately a huge shift inmarketing and advertisement strategies into the 2010s. Even political movementshave found significant momentum on Facebook, as beginning in the 2008 election,individuals would form groups to support their preferred candidates. Learn more about the history of Facebook here[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/facebook-launches-mark-zuckerberg].