This Day in History:, Facebook Launches.br February 4, 2004.br Initially called "The Facebook," br the site was launched br on this day by Harvard br sophomore Mark Zuckerberg.br "The Facebook" served as a social network for br Harvard students to connect with their classmates.br It was based on Zuckerberg's otherbr social media site, FaceMash, br in which male students voted on br the attractiveness of female students.br By the end of the first day, br more than 1500 Harvard students br signed up for "The Facebook.".br Today, Facebook has more br than 2.8 billion users worldwide.