The Biggest Twitter Stories of 2011
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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)
<b>False Tweets of Rep. Giffords' Death</b> 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.
<b>#Jan25</b> 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.
<b>Tiger Blood</b> 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)
<b>@BronxZoosCobra</b> 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.
<b>The Man Who Live-Blogged Usama bin Laden's Death</b> 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.
<b>Weinergate</b> 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)
<b>Ebert Gets a Thumbs-Down</b> 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)
<b>@aplusk Twitter Foul</b> 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)