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Did Abraham Lincoln Invent Facebook?

SodaHead News 2012/05/08 20:00:00
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If only Sean Parker had been around in the 1840s... We know what you're thinking, but hold off on the eye rolls for just a second. Blogger Nate St. Pierre dug up an 1845 patent by a 36-year-old Abraham Lincoln outlining what would have been roughly the equivalent of a social network. Fortunately for Mr. Zuckerberg, the U.S. Patent Office denied his idea, but the evidence is apparently there in black and off-white. Unfortunately, Nate wasn't permitted to take a picture, so we'll have to take his word for it.

According to Nate, the patent request suggested establishing a "centrally located Gazette" for every town that gave "every Man" his own page that could be could be updated "at any time deemed Fit or Necessary." His page would detail family, employment, and any "various endeavors" he wanted to share with the community. Not only that, but he could decide who was allowed to view his page by informing an overseer -- a kind of primative privacy measure. Sounds like a certain book of faces we know... What do you think? Did Abraham Lincoln invent Facebook?

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  • Brother Bo 2012/05/08 23:17:34
    Yes
    Brother Bo
    +25
    Sounds like he did, but according to some previews I've seen, he was also an accomplished vampire hunter...

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  • boneman1 2012/05/09 20:22:34
    Yes
    boneman1
    +2
    He threw it together knowing that some day down the road Al Gore would invent the internet.
    reply
  • hello kitty 2012/05/09 20:11:15
    Yes
    hello kitty
    sounds like it ^.^
    reply
  • soldierveteran516 2012/05/09 20:06:54
    No
    soldierveteran516
    People have been looking for ways to social network for years
    reply
  • Bill 2012/05/09 20:05:49
    Yes
    Bill
    It would seem as though he did!! Who-da thunk?
    reply
  • RhettDempsey-Taylor 2012/05/09 19:28:08
    No
    RhettDempsey-Taylor
    Get real people...
    reply
  • Bri 2012/05/09 19:23:26
    No
    Bri
    +2
    No, but the social concept was there.
    reply
  • Gwendolyn Harper 2012/05/09 19:22:11
    Yes
    Gwendolyn Harper
    I wish he went ahead with it, though.
    reply
  • Bastet 2012/05/09 19:16:41
    Yes
    Bastet
    +1
    Awesome
    reply
  • Tony Bensley 2012/05/09 19:11:06
    Yes
    Tony Bensley
    +1
    A barely qualified yes. His idea, which was rejected by the U.S. patent office certainly had the bare bones concepts behind today's Facebook. Makes one wonder if Mark Zuckerberg ever ran across this bit of information! In any case, this is just another thing that Lincoln was centuries ahead on! To echo a comment by an apparent Abe Lincoln descendant, perhaps he should hook up with fellow descendant Tom Hanks to set up some litigation, LOL!
    reply
  • clh1 2012/05/09 19:06:20
    No
    clh1
    First the " Twins" now This!?!??
    reply
  • darazan 2012/05/09 18:59:44
    No
    darazan
    +5
    I think that the answer for this question is really dependent on how you interpret "invented Facebook." Did Abraham Lincoln invent Facebook? No, not technically. But did Abraham Lincoln come up with a concept that looks suspiciously similar to modern social networking? The article would point to a "yes" answer. This is, of course, assuming that Nate St. Pierre is indeed telling the truth about such a patent request, and not just making it up.
    reply
  • dennisg40 2012/05/09 18:55:13
    Yes
    dennisg40
    Yep. Sounds a lot like Facebook without the computer.
    reply
  • Bob DiN 2012/05/09 18:55:12
    No
    Bob DiN
    Give me a break. I guess some people think Al Gore invented the internet also???
    reply
  • VintageLys Bob DiN 2012/05/15 19:59:48
    VintageLys
    it was really Tim Berners Lee if you want to get technical
    reply
  • Jayfeather 2012/05/09 18:43:02
    Yes
    Jayfeather
    +1
    I would have to change my vote. He might've had the idea, but he never implemented it. And whether he invented it or not, I think it's safe to say Zuckerburg didn't steal from HIM.
    reply
  • LadyAlanna 2012/05/09 18:20:00
    Yes
    LadyAlanna
    It certainly looks like he outlined the idea of it so therefore he would have invented it.
    reply
  • ☆FritzW☆ 2012/05/09 18:13:34
    Yes
    ☆FritzW☆
    How cool is that! When one thinks on the era of the 1840s, the last thing that comes up is social networking, at least in my mind. The image I have of folks back then was one of keeping to their own farm or business.. taking care of what needed caring and spending the rest o the time with family. Occasionally, the visit into town to stock up on supplies made for a wonderful break for the whole family, but visiting and greetings others wasn't the norm. Perhaps this was Lincoln's motivation.. very cool though!
    reply
  • MichaelTaylor 2012/05/09 18:11:07
    No
    MichaelTaylor
    +1
    Al Gore invented Facebook when he invented the internet :P
    reply
  • PM Michael... 2012/05/09 19:07:34 (edited)
    PM
    +3
    Al Gore never said, "He invented the internet". That's a Carl Rove-ism to mis-characterize what he said. What he actually said was, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet." which means that as a congressmen, he promoted the initiative that created what we now call the internet. I wish they would teach you Conservatives to actually quote what people actually say instead of what Rush Limbaugh or Hannity says during a political campaign to malign a person's character.

    If a congressman says in took the initiative in building a highway, it doesn't mean he created project plans for the road and laid blacktop and drove a dumptruck with blacktop in it, it probably means that he promoted legislation which gave the funding to a project that actually did the work.
    reply
  • Thorin PM 2012/05/09 21:45:40
    Thorin
    actually, the word is malign, not mis-align... but maybe you have an over-active autocorrector.
    reply
  • PM Thorin 2012/05/10 12:20:10
    PM
    corrected above, thank you.
    reply
  • Kiki 2012/05/09 18:07:48
    Yes
    Kiki
    +2
    It has been said a million timess...nothing today is new, only evolved!
    reply
  • SeanBassett 2012/05/09 18:06:00
    No
    SeanBassett
    +1
    No. Somehow I don't think he was a PC.
    reply
  • Chuck 2012/05/09 17:57:34
    No
    Chuck
    +1
    Nope. He was pretty smart but had no idea of the network business,I believe.
    reply
  • Earl Hickey 2012/05/09 17:50:30
    Yes
    Earl Hickey
    +1
    yeah, sounds very plausible,
    Lincoln was indeed a very bright person.
    reply
  • Jeremy Villa 2012/05/09 17:34:50
    Yes
    Jeremy Villa
    +1
    Well the idea of facebook is nothing new, but their platform is new.facebook platform
    reply
  • jamiecooper187 2012/05/09 17:34:25
    Yes
    jamiecooper187
    +1
    Sounds like Abe came up with the basic concept, just need Zuckerberg and the rest ti bring it into the modern world
    reply
  • hobo 2012/05/09 17:27:47
    No
    hobo
    +1
    ...but he was a social guy even though a bit of a loner too.
    reply
  • eliotbatchelor 2012/05/09 17:22:18
    No
    eliotbatchelor
    +5
    It's like saying "Did Alexander Graham Bell invent the iPhone?". No he didn't, and the same goes for Facebook. A similar concept may have been invented before, but Facebook was not invented by Lincoln.
    reply
  • Scott 2012/05/09 17:20:17
    No
    Scott
    +2
    No, Lincoln didn't invent Facebook. But I do find it interesting looking at the voting on this question. As of right now, you can apparently convince 36% of the population that just about anything is true.
    reply
  • cc 2012/05/09 17:16:39
    Yes
    cc
    +3
    Hell yeah! ...and I'm Abes great great great grandson and I want royalties!!
    (Honest!)
    reply
  • B Lawrence 2012/05/09 17:15:06 (edited)
    No
    B Lawrence
    +1
    No, he died a long time ago, before the internets.

    Ok...i read it. Sounds like he did!
    reply
  • Chris 2012/05/09 17:13:03
    Yes
    Chris
    He totally did!
    reply
  • Oh wait, i forgot I wasted em' 2012/05/09 17:13:03
    No
    Oh wait, i forgot I wasted em'
    +1
    You guys need to retake your history class.. abraham lincoln created the emancipation proclamation. Mark Zukerburg invented Facebook.
    reply
  • spencer.kagen 2012/05/09 16:46:47
    Yes
    spencer.kagen
    Basically!!
    reply
  • johnnyg 2012/05/09 16:45:54 (edited)
    Yes
    johnnyg
    +1
    I wonder why they didn't patent it??
    reply
  • MorganRae johnnyg 2012/05/09 19:27:27
    MorganRae
    +1
    I'm sure there were just too many variables, too many questions. Too much time and too much effort for something seemingly unimportant at the time. Just my best guess.
    reply
  • TRUENEPHILIM 2012/05/09 16:45:40
    Yes
    TRUENEPHILIM
    SOUNDS RIGHT
    reply
  • kristina.wilson17 2012/05/09 16:41:00
    Yes
    kristina.wilson17
    There was no kinda button to click on but basically yes he did and it has just evolved into what it is today
    reply
  • Clarice Garcia 2012/05/09 16:38:14
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