Facebook announced late last night that anyone in the world can now get the feature (which has till now been used only by hard-core tech types) by going to their profile and clicking “get Timeline.” If you click it, the result is jarring.

SEE ALSO: So Where Is Facebook's Timeline?

The long-familiar Facebook page is suddenly re-arranged into a month by month history of your life, replete with photos, friends and comments from long ago. The effect is much like the ready-or-not feeling of nostalgia that comes with an unexpected encounter with an old book of photos. Everything from forgotten faces to lost loves are suddenly staring back at you. Let’s just say that those in a fragile mood may want to wait before hitting the on button for Timeline.

Overall, the design is elegant and intuitive. The top of the page now consists of a “cover” or banner that stretches across the screen into which users are invited to insert a personal photo (Facebook says this is supposed to be sacrosanct, non-commercial space but already dozens of companies are clamoring to sell designs to plunk into the “cover”.)

Below the cover is a horizontal navigation box that provides easy access to familiar Facebook features like friends and photos. After that, the real fun begins. When a user scrolls down, she will see a month-by-month compendium of what Facebook has decided are the highlights of her life and, yes, they stretch right back to the very beginning.