Twitter, created by Jack Dorsey, was designed as an internal messaging platform for podcast company Odeo. After being presented at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, the service saw explosive growth, and now has around 500 million users worldwide.

The blue bird which conquered the world

It is hard to imagine the modern Internet without Twitter. It gives users an opportunity to talk directly to the rich and famous, discuss events in real-time as they happen, vent frustrations, make topical jokes and generally share opinions on everything and everyone.

Thanks to Twitter, dozens of NASA engineers were able to tell the world how they felt when the Curiosity rover touched down on the surface of Mars. And it was the microblogging platform that allowed Bradley Wiggins to tell fans about his gold medal celebration plans.

Despite the fake accounts, mountains of spam, widespread trolling, censorship and the occasional court case, Twitter remains a unique service that is shaped by its users. So how much do you know about Twitter?

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