The Twitter History of the World (9 page)

@JFK
Touched down in Dallas and now driving through this beautiful city. Life doesn’t get any better.
12.29pm, November 22, 1963

@LeeHarveyO
Ich bin ein bad killer!
12.31pm, November 22, 1963

President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. The killer was Lee Harvey Oswald.

@MartinLKing
Morning all. I had an amazing dream last night. There were these 4 kids, some valleys & mountains. I think it could change the world.
8.02am, August 28, 1963
[Retweeted by @DC_Dude and 249,999 others]

Martin Luther King delivered his legendary ‘I have a dream’ speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on 28 August, 1963.

@PrincePhilip
Sorry I haven’t tweeted for a while. Am looking forward to using it to express my view of the world!
7.57pm, March 1, 1966

@PrincePhilip
British women can’t cook!
7.58pm, March 1, 1966

@PrincePhilip
What’s everyone’s problem with this recession?
Everybody was saying we must have more leisure.
Now they are complaining they are unemployed.
5.12pm, May 21, 1981

@PrincePhilip
Gosh, there are some sensitive little flowers on Twitter, aren’t there?
5.14pm, May 21, 1981

@PrincePhilip
The trouble with @PrincessAnne is that if it doesn’t fart or eat hay then she isn’t interested.
4.18am, June 23, 1988

@PrincePhilip
I wonder how Scottish driving instructors keep the natives off the booze long enough to pass the test…
2.22pm, September 22, 1995

@PrincePhilip
Oops! Just got a load more un-follows!
2.23pm, September 22, 1995

@PrincePhilip
Saw a fuse box earlier. It was a right mess. Looked as though it had been put in by an Indian.
3.39am, October 12, 2002

@PrincePhilip
Met some Aborigines today. Asked if they still throw spears at one another.
8.12pm, November 1, 2002

@PrincePhilip
There’s a lot of orphanages in Romania – they must breed them.
4.44pm, July 1, 2010

@QueenLiz2
@PrincePhilip One thinks we need a chat about you and Twitter…

Prince Philip has distinguished himself as one of Britain’s most outspoken figures with colourful views and observations throughout his life.

@ThreeLionArmy
Running onto the pitch at Wembley. We think it’s all over.
5.13pm, July 30, 1966

@KennethWolstenholme
It is now!
5.14pm, July 30, 1966

Kenneth Wolstenholme’s commentary of England’s 1966 World Cup Final victory over Germany has become legendary.

@Syria
Pssst – ourselves, @Egypt, @Iraq and @Jordan have got a little surprise lined-up for the Jews!
8:14am, June 5, 1967

@TheJews
Pssst – we’ve got a little surprise lined-up ourselves…
8:15am, June 5, 1967

In June 1967, the armies of several Arab states prepared to attack the Jewish state of Israel. Egyptian state radio vowed to ‘Wipe Israel off the map’. Israel launched a pre-emptive strike and defeated all five armies in just six days.

@TheFlowerChildren
They say if you Tweeted during the summer of love then you weren’t there…
7.12pm, July 5, 1967

During the summer of 1967 hundreds of thousands of hippies gathered in American cities including San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, and across Europe. These get-togethers became melting pots of drugs, sex and creative expression.

@NeilArmstrong
Ha – me and @BuzzAldrin are chilling on the moon! One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. #wishihadmygolfclubs
02.56, July 21, 1969

@TheSoviets
Pics or it didn’t happen…
09:32am, July 22, 1969

American Neil Armstrong has become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 22, 1969. He was joined by his colleague Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin. The Soviet Union – and conspiracy theorists to this day – contest whether American astronauts ever achieved this feat.

@AndyWarhol
In the future everybody will be world famous for 140 characters or fewer.
6.55pm, September 1, 1969

Andy Warhol, artist, film-maker and author, predicted that in the future everybody would be famous for 15 minutes. Thanks to Twitter, he was almost right.

@PunkRockSkool
Learn a chord, learn another chord, learn a third chord – now go and form a band.
10.21pm, June 2, 1976

@SteveJones
@BillGrundy You dirty fucker!
6.58pm, December 1, 1976

@BillGrundy
@SteveJones What a clever boy!
6.58pm, December 1, 1976

@SteveJones
@BillGrundy What a fucking rotter!
6.59pm, December 1, 1976

@JohnnyRotten
#FF @QueenLiz2 – the fascist regime, she made you a moron…
2.01pm, March 10, 1977

@QueenLiz2
@JohnnyRotten Takes one to know one, one has always thought…
2.01pm, March 10, 1977

@SidVicious
Feels good to be out on bail. I’m ready to party…
4.48pm, February 1, 1979

Punk Rock, which exploded in 1976, was spearheaded in Britain by The Sex Pistols. They shocked the nation by swearing at Bill Grundy on tea-time television, and producing their own anti-Jubilee song. Bassist Sid Vicious later died of a heroin overdose while out on bail for the murder of his former girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.

‘And if I do this I get far better reception.’

@TheKing
Just popping to the bathroom. BRB.
3.30pm, August 16, 1977

@ElvisLackey
The King is dead. (I wouldn’t go in there for a bit.)
4.21pm, August 16, 1977

Elvis Presley died in the toilet of his mansion in Memphis on 16 August 1977. He was 42.

@Mujahideen
@TheCIA Hey, thanks for all the money and support as we fight to kick the Soviets out of Afghanistan
4.55am, August 1, 1979