Did Abraham Lincoln Invent Facebook?

by SodaHead News Posted 2012/05/08 20:00:00

Related Topics: Abraham Lincoln, Social Network, Facebook, gazette, nate, 1845, Patent, Family, Sean Parker, Time, Zuckerberg, Network

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834 votes
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	Yes	347 votes	42%
	No	487 votes	58%

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?

+21

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Brother Bo 2012/05/08 23:17:34

Yes

+25
Sounds like he did, but according to some previews I've seen, he was also an accomplished vampire hunter...

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More polls by SodaHead News

Happy212121 2012/05/09 14:55:17

Yes

I would have rather liked to have chosen the answer "kind of" or "he was on the right track". I think he was ahead of his time and social networking seemed to be something he knew could be a great thing. I DID find this very interesting and the writer was ahead of their time as well b/c I did roll my eyes when I first saw the poll question. But turns out this was one of my most favorite polls yet!

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csferlazza 2012/05/09 14:52:43

Yes

+1
If the patent went through that idea would have evolved

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LUFXIII 2012/05/09 14:50:50

No

+1
almost..

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no no 2012/05/09 14:47:29

No

+1
Nothing is new, just gradually improved over time. And recently more akin to quick, fast and in a hurry. Check it out, by the time one learns or unravels the contents of the "how to operate or use" instructions, it is obsolete. Bigger and better is dooming us.

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firelooker to no no 2012/05/09 15:14:28

Yep, when I went to computer electronics school in the late 70's our instructors claimed that what we learned today was obsolete yesterday.

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mrsgrint<3 2012/05/09 14:46:52

Yes

Sort of

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John Hall 2012/05/09 14:46:06

Yes

works for me .

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HarleyCharley 2012/05/09 14:46:02

Yes

+1
Abe was the man...

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Ian 2012/05/09 14:43:36

Yes

If what is claimed in this article is true, then yes, sort of...

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Ian to Ian 2012/05/09 15:07:57

I just went to the website and read the STORY. Yes, STORY. Right at the end, he says it was a STORY. Sigh.

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mort 2012/05/09 14:42:06

Yes

+1
Along with countless others.....I imagine this idea has been down the pike man times in our history

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NumptyNuts 2012/05/09 14:41:54

No

+2
Ahh. The paper whole as opposed to the electronic one! There was mush for brains thinking AL invented the WWW.
He was a smart and far sighted man but I do not think he invented FB. I believe he would be sickened by the crap on it.

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The Bee... to NumptyNuts 2012/05/09 15:19:44

The sickened part is a "for sure".Had our Parents/Grandparents seen what was coming on TV, It would never have become popular

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chuckforest 2012/05/09 14:41:20

No

+2
Nobody 'invented' facebook. It's a silly little web app that any junior developer could have written. It's all about marketing.

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Andy 2012/05/09 14:40:39

No

+2
Not Facebook... but, he was one trying to unite people.

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Logan50 2012/05/09 14:38:36

No

+1
If this story is true, then it is possible he invented social networking. But Facebook isn't social networking, it's just one facet of social networking. It's like saying Marlboro is cigarettes. No, it's just one type of cigarette.

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Paul 2012/05/09 14:37:46

Yes

+1
Far out!

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Lois Griffin 2012/05/09 14:35:30

Yes

Kind of! Benjamin Franklin was a real inventor and newspaperman and would have thought of it, if he didn't already, only to have Abe abscond with the idea! Zuck is a jerk that wants all your internal organs. No thanks punk! Eff off!

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Mike 2012/05/09 14:34:03

No

+2
No hardcore evidence exists.

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Mtnsmith 2012/05/09 14:33:36

No

+3
Like Leonardo da VInci and his helicopter drawings, Lincoln was a man ahead of his times.

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ART 2012/05/09 14:33:10

No

+3
THE GAZETTE DID NOT HAVE PEOPLE PUKING OUT THEIR DULL EXISTENCE

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politicalsoldier 2012/05/09 14:28:55

Yes

+2
Well, I guess he sort of did.

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mankatt 2012/05/09 14:23:08

No

+3
that sounds like a COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD - remember those -

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Cookielane 2012/05/09 14:22:19

Yes

I'll be doggoned! Looks like you're right! Wouldn't he have dug the mess out of it now!

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Dyonus 2012/05/09 14:07:00

No

+2
Not unless you acknowledge the fact that Al Gore invented the internet and Manbearpig.

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Muriel to Dyonus 2012/05/09 14:53:27

What is manbearpig ? Pardon my ignorance.

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Dyonus to Muriel 2012/05/13 05:26:14

It's a creature that's half-man, half-bear, and half-pig.

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Muriel to Dyonus 2012/05/13 14:45:36

Can't have half man, bear, pig it has gotta be one third manbearpig.

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Dyonus to Muriel 2012/05/14 15:22:34 (edited)

+1
Might be half-man and half-bearpig.

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brunyon 2012/05/09 13:47:54

Yes

and he killed vampires

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enaud 2012/05/09 13:12:27

No

+1
He invented Myspace after he invented the internet.

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Susanne the Doodle 2012/05/09 12:53:29

No

+2
well it wasnt FACEBOOK per say, but it couldve been something else. mabey Twitter

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Nan 2012/05/09 12:48:35

No

+1
Sounds like he had a good idea but it got squashed unfortunately. Lincoln was a highly intelligent fellow and was way ahead of his time if you ask me. I find that info very interesting.

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wulfsong 2012/05/09 12:41:18

No

+2
The only way that this claim could have any validity to it is if Mark Zuckerberg used Lincoln's patent as an inspiration or framework for Facebook. I highly doubt this is the case, especially since we all know the Winklevoss twins were the true genius behind Facebook (jk). Why can't people just give Zuckerberg his props where props are due?

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Sandman366 2012/05/09 12:20:16

No

+2
Nor is he a vampire hunter or any of this other crap people are using Lincoln's name for because they can't make decent movies with an imaginative plot. (So they're just drawing famous names out of a hat and saying they hunted something out of another hat.)

If you really want to claim he invented something like Facebook, you'd have to call it "Face Gazette", since it's not really a book.

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wulfsong to Sandman366 2012/05/09 12:31:06

+1
Facebook isn't really a book either.

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Sandman366 to wulfsong 2012/05/09 12:33:48

+1
Because Facenet sounds so much better.

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Maci 2012/05/09 11:52:52
TC1116 2012/05/09 11:06:30

No

+1
...but, somehow, I'm sure Kevin Bacon can be connected with it. Was someone just bored, when they made this poll up - or drunk?

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Kibelle 2012/05/09 11:04:20

No

+1
So maybe Abraham Lincoln designed a rough outline of a social network, but not facebook itself. The question is silly, really, though the article (from Pierre's blog) is quite a read.

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