Bitcoin history
The history of Bitcoin — a timeline from 2008 to today
From the whitepaper and the genesis block to four halvings, national adoption and spot ETFs — the milestones that shaped Bitcoin, in order.
- Oct 31, 2008
The whitepaper
A person using the name Satoshi Nakamoto published "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System", proposing money that moves without banks or middlemen.
- Jan 3, 2009
The genesis block
The first block (block 0) was mined and the Bitcoin network went live. A newspaper headline of the day was embedded in it.
- May 22, 2010
Bitcoin Pizza Day
10,000 BTC was spent on two pizzas — the first known real-world purchase with bitcoin, now celebrated every May 22.
- Nov 28, 2012
First halving
The block reward fell from 50 to 25 BTC — the first of the roughly four-yearly halvings that cut new issuance in half.
- Feb 2014
Mt. Gox collapse
Mt. Gox, then one of the largest exchanges (based in Japan), lost a vast amount of BTC and went bankrupt — a hard lesson in custody risk.
- Jul 9, 2016
Second halving
The block reward dropped from 25 to 12.5 BTC, ahead of the major bull run into 2017.
- 2017
First mainstream cycle
The price surged toward $20,000 and Bitcoin entered the global spotlight, followed by a sharp correction.
- May 11, 2020
Third halving
The block reward fell from 12.5 to 6.25 BTC, amid growing institutional interest that fed the 2021 highs.
- Sep 7, 2021
El Salvador legal tender
El Salvador became the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender — a national-level first.
- Nov 2021
Taproot upgrade
Taproot, a major upgrade improving efficiency and privacy, activated — the same month the price reached all-time highs.
- Jan 2024
US spot ETFs approved
The US SEC approved spot Bitcoin ETFs, opening an easy route to BTC exposure through ordinary brokerage accounts.
- Apr 2024
Fourth halving
The block reward fell from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC, slowing new issuance further and tightening scarcity.
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