The Biggest Twitter Stories of 2011

From Weinergate to <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23TigerBlood">#TigerBlood</a>, 2011 saw its fair share of tweetable moments. Here's a look back at the good, the bad -- and the just plain ugly Twitter moments of 2011. Take it as further proof that whether a Tweet is up for 10 seconds or three years, those 140 characters can "follow" you for a lifetime. (Reuters)

False Tweets of Rep. Giffords' Death On January 8, nineteen people were shot during a public meeting in Tucson, Arizona -- among them, Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Following the chaos, several news sources, including Reuters and NPRNews incorrectly Tweeted Giffords' wounds were fatal. Naturally, Tweeps spread the word through social media -- and false reports of the Congresswoman's death were made almost-instantly viral.

#Jan25 According to Tech Crunch, a 21-year-old Egyptian with the Twitter handle <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/alya1989262">@alya1989262</a> was the first person to Tweet using the hashtag <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/%23Jan25">#Jan25</a>. Within hours, the hashtag became synonymous with the Egyptian uprising and emblematic of social media's capability for political mobilization.

Tiger Blood March 1st, days after publicly slandering CBS, Charlie Sheen took to Twitter. Using catchprases such as "winnning" and "tiger blood" <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/charliesheen">@CharlieSheen</a> took the social media world by storm. As Charlie Sheen live-Tweeted what appeared to semblance a mental breakdown of sorts, his (now-near six million) followers watched with equal intrigue, equal horror as another once-great celebrity appeared to self-implode. Sheen claims to have since cleaned up his act and continues to manage his Twitter account. (AXMalibu/X17online.com)

@BronxZoosCobra 2011 taught us humans aren't the only ones taking to Twitter -- turns out venomous snakes have a weakness for micro-blogging too. On March 24th, a cobra went missing from the Bronx Zoo, causing one (still anonymous) social media maven to seize the opportunity and create a fictitious <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/BronxZoosCobra">@BronxZoosCobra</a> account. Using the hashtag <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23snakeonthetown">#SnakeOnTheTown</a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/BronxZoosCobra">@BronxZoosCobra</a> Tweeted everywhere from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to Wall Street, to the Hilton. Seven days later the cobra was found in the zoo's reptile house -- but that hasn't stopped <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/BronxZoosCobra">@BronxZoosCobra</a> from Tweeting.

The Man Who Live-Blogged Usama bin Laden's Death On May 2nd, 33-year-old Pakistani Sohaib Athar went from being an IT consultant to a worldwide sensation as he unintentionally live-Tweeted the U.S. raid on Usama bin Laden's compound.

Weinergate And what would a 2011 Twitter wrap-up be without Weinergate? On May 27, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/RepWeiner">@RepWeiner</a> accidentally Twitpic'd a lewd photo to all of his followers – including his wife, Huma Abedin! After days of denying accusations, Weiner finally owned up to the suggestive photo -- and ultimately resigned from Congress on June 21. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Ebert Gets a Thumbs-Down On June 20, 34-year-old 'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn passed away in a car accident. The night before the tragedy, he posted of photo of himself drinking on tumblr. Following the news, Rogert Ebert (<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/ebertchicago">@EbertChicago</a>) Tweeted "Friends don't let jackasses drink and drive." Dunn's colleague, Bam Margera saw the Tweet as cruel and disrespectful saying, "I just lost my best friend, I have been crying hysterical for a full day and piece of sh** roger ebert has the gall to put in his 2 cents." Ebert later issued an apology, explaining he never meant to make light of Dunn's death. (AP Photo/Chicago Sun-Times, Dom Najolia)

@aplusk Twitter Foul Ashton Kutcher -- or better known as <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/aplusk">@aplusk</a> to his sem-odd nine million loyal followers, took to Twitter to denounce Penn State's firing of coach Joe Paterno. One tiny problem: <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/#!/aplusk">@aplusk</a> didn't have all the facts. Only after Tweeting: "How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste" did Kutcher learn of child molestation allegatiosn against Paterno. Realizing his error, Kutcher apologized and took a Twitter vow of silence. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)

When 31-year-old NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne saw a mom breast feeding her baby at a grocery store December 27, he flocked to social media to express his disgust. Kahne Tweeted, "I don't feel like shopping or eating anymore." Kahne's Tweets ignited the wrath of breast-feeding moms across the country. Eventually the NASCAR idol came around and apologized on Facebook. (AP Images / Cal Sports Media)