MSNBC.com's history

Msnbc.com launches as a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC News, combining the unparalleled resources of two of the most powerful media companies in the world. Msnbc.com has grown exponentially since its inception and is now an industry leader.

Msnbc.com's new Live Video feature makes its debut on July 21, 1999. For the first time, msnbc.com attracts more than 1 million visitors a day as consumers turn to the site for the news of John F. Kennedy Jr.’s plane crash.

Msnbc.com goes for the gold, producing not just its own site and the NBC Olympics site, but the official Olympics.com site as well.

Msnbc.com gives the site its first new look since 1997. The site also launches its new “Big Picture” format to dazzling effect for the Oscars and adds RSS news feeds.

Msnbc.com sets a single-day video stream record with its unprecedented coverage of Hurricane Katrina. The site continues its coverage of the post-Katrina Gulf Coast in its award-winning special series, “Rising from Ruin.”

Expanding on its “Related Stories” concept launched in 2005, the site unveiled “Related Photos” to bring more visual content to the site, including automated slide shows on major stories.

Msnbc.com celebrates its 10th anniversary, and continues to lead the industry with new innovations, including the launch of video podcasts, a Flash video player, and an expanded Politics section.

Msnbc.com launches “A Fuller Spectrum of News,” its award-winning brand campaign that brings the true experience of the site to life for consumers across a variety of media, from interactive tools and RSS news feeds to the first-ever interactive in-cinema game.

The Msnbc Digital Network makes its first-ever acquisition, purchasing Seattle-based Newsvine, an innovative social news site that provides consumers with a unique new way to read, write, and interact with the news.

Msnbc.com pioneers a new publishing approach, unveiling its new home page that evolves in real-time to give consumers an unparalleled storytelling experience as news unfolds. Msnbc.com's flexible design architecture allows editors to creatively shift layouts and rich media to report the news in the most compelling format.

The msnbc.com digital café opens at the NBC Experience Store in New York’s Rockefeller Center in June 2008. The vibrant venue brings the interactive experience of the site to life by immersing consumers in “a fuller spectrum of news” in a casual café setting.

Msnbc.com is the first major news site to launch an embeddable video player. The unique interactive tool enables consumers to embed any of the site’s video clips into their own sites and blogs.

Msnbc.com wins the November Presidential election by a landslide, shattering site records on November 4, 2008, with nearly 250 million page views and more than 20 million unique visitors.

Msnbc.com wins the National Press Club’s Online Journalism Award. This prestigious award was given to msnbc.com for “The Elkhart Project,” a special editorial initiative that tells the story of the nation’s economic crisis through the eyes of the residents of Elkhart, Ind.

The Msnbc Digital Network acquires EveryBlock, an innovative microlocal site that delivers neighborhood news down to the block level in 15 U.S. cities.

In December, the Msnbc Digital Network assumes responsibility for @breakingnews, delivering the fastest, most comprehensive feed of breaking news on Twitter.

The Msnbc Digital Network acquires the URL www.breakingnews.com in January. Breakingnews.com aims to be the fastest, most accurate site for live breaking news around the globe, featuring up-to-the-second headlines from multiple news sources.