Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg put out this announcement overnight, marking the 500 millionth user of his six year old phenomenon:

As of this morning, 500 million people all around the world are actively using Facebook to stay connected with their friends and the people around them. This is an important milestone for all of you who have helped spread Facebook around the world. Now a lot more people have the opportunity to stay connected with the people they care about.

To celebrate, we’ve put together a collection of stories you’ve shared with us about the impact Facebook and your friends have had on your lives. We’re launching a new application called Facebook Stories where you can share your own story and read hundreds of others, categorized by themes and locations around the world.