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kates birthday party went viral, thanks to David Thorne
Kate was just an innocent Facebook user whose birthday was coming up soon. Like so many other Facebook users, she decided to create an event for her birthday party. Unlike other Facebook users, Kate ended up with tens of thousands of RSVPs when her party went viral. Kate's not famous, her party isn't anywhere special and she didn't promise free magic brownies to the guests ... so, why all the RSVPs?

As it turns out, Kate's Party was a stunt -- and a bit of a cautionary tale -- by hilarious internet troll David Thorne. You may know him from his attempt to pay a bill using a drawing of a spider or the time he called Chatroulette "a drill to the head." This time, Thorne used Twitter to promote Kate's Party and get the RSVPs rolling. The event has been cancelled now, but it hit over 60,000 attendees, with over 150,000 waiting to be approved. The prank worked because of recent Facebook privacy changes that make open events searchable, viewable and RSVP-able to anyone.

The SF Weekly says there never was a "Kate," but the source they link to just says the event was promoted by David Thorne on Twitter. It's hard to tell whether Thorne made Kate up entirely or whether he seized on a Facebook friend's open party to make a point about Facebook privacy. Either way, you can buy the official Kate's Party t-shirt.