Facebook creates calendar view for Events — it’s about darn time

File this one under: why didn’t they think of this sooner?

Facebook announced a new format for Facebook Events today that finally lets members view friends’ upcoming birthdays, event invites, and suggested events on a calendar. Rocket science, we know.

The new calendar view (pictured right), which comes with an equally organized and functional list view, was built in a night as part of a hackathon project by Facebookers looking to improve the social network’s Events functionality.

“A couple of us felt there should be a better way for people to see their friends’ birthdays a few days in advance and make plans for the weekend. So we built it,” Facebook software engineer Bob Baldwin explained in a note on Facebook.

The new and improved Facebook Events with calendar and list view comes with a few niceties. Facebook members can respond to invites and leave birthday messages without leaving the Events page. Posts, photos, and videos are a part of the experience as well. The social network has even finally spruced up the Events icon so that it actually displays today’s date.

The update is in the process of rolling out to Facebook members and will eventually replace the more mundane Events experience for all.

Photo credit: Shutterstock