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The Bitcoin Atlas

Timeline

120 curated events from the genesis block to today.

120 events
ProtocolEpoch

Bitcoin Whitepaper Published

Satoshi Nakamoto published the 9-page Bitcoin whitepaper to the cryptography mailing list.

#whitepaper#satoshi
MiningEpoch

Genesis Block Mined

Satoshi mined block #0, embedding The Times headline in the coinbase transaction.

#genesis#block-0
ProtocolEpoch

Bitcoin v0.1 Released

First open-source Bitcoin client released on SourceForge.

#software#open-source
PeopleEpoch

First Bitcoin Transaction

Satoshi sent 10 BTC to Hal Finney in block 170.

#first-transaction#hal-finney
PriceMajor

First BTC/USD Exchange Rate

New Liberty Standard publishes the first Bitcoin exchange rate.

BTC $0.0008#first-price
AdoptionLegendary

Hal Finney: 'Running Bitcoin'

Hal Finney's iconic tweet on the day he received the first BTC.

#hal-finney#meme
ExchangesMajor

Bitcoin Market — First Exchange

dwdollar creates the first Bitcoin exchange.

#first-exchange
PeopleLegendary

Patoshi Mining Pattern Ends

Forensic analysis places Satoshi's last known mined block at height 54,316.

#patoshi#satoshi
AdoptionEpoch

Bitcoin Pizza Day

Laszlo Hanyecz pays 10,000 BTC for two pizzas — the first real-world purchase.

BTC $0.0041#pizza-day#first-purchase
ExchangesMajor

Mt. Gox Launched

Jed McCaleb launches what becomes the dominant Bitcoin exchange.

#mt-gox#exchange
AdoptionMajor

Slashdot Features Bitcoin

Slashdot front page brings thousands of new users.

BTC $0.08#slashdot#media
SecurityLegendary

Value Overflow Incident

184 billion BTC created by bug — fixed by consensus in 5 hours.

#bug#consensus
HardwareLegendary

GPU Mining Begins

ArtForz pioneers GPU mining, making CPU mining obsolete.

#gpu#mining
PeopleLegendary

Satoshi's Last Forum Post

Satoshi's final Bitcointalk post before disappearing.

#satoshi
PriceLegendary

Bitcoin Reaches $1

1 BTC = $1 USD for the first time on Mt. Gox.

BTC $1#parity#milestone
PeopleLegendary

Satoshi's Last Known Communication

Gavin Andresen receives Satoshi's final email before complete disappearance.

#satoshi#departure
HardwareMajor

FPGA Mining Era

FPGAs bridge the gap between GPUs and ASICs.

#fpga#mining
PriceMajor

Bitcoin Hits $31 — First Bubble

Gawker Silk Road article drives Bitcoin from $1 to $31.

BTC $31#bubble#2011
AdoptionLegendary

WikiLeaks Accepts Bitcoin Donations

Cut off by banks, WikiLeaks turns to Bitcoin for censorship-resistant funding.

#wikileaks#censorship-resistance
SecurityMajor

Mt. Gox Account Database Leaked

60,000 Mt. Gox accounts compromised.

BTC $17#mt-gox
SecurityMajor

Mt. Gox Moves 424,242 BTC Publicly

After a hack, Mt. Gox proves on-chain it still controls its cold wallets.

#mt-gox#exchange
AdoptionLegendary

Silk Road Goes Live

Ross Ulbricht launches the darknet marketplace that put Bitcoin on the map.

BTC $15#silk-road#darknet
AdoptionMajor

Casascius Physical Bitcoins Launched

Mike Caldwell begins selling brass coins loaded with real BTC behind a tamper-evident hologram.

BTC $10#casascius#physical-bitcoin
SecurityMajor

Pirateat40 Ponzi Collapses

First major Bitcoin Ponzi scheme defrauds investors of ~7,000 BTC.

BTC $11#ponzi#fraud
HalvingsEpoch

First Halving

Block reward drops from 50 BTC to 25 BTC at block 210,000.

BTC $12#halving-1#scarcity
HardwareLegendary

ASIC Mining Era Begins

Purpose-built ASIC miners replace GPUs and FPGAs.

#asic#mining
AdoptionMajor

Cyprus Banking Crisis Boosts Bitcoin

Bank deposit levies in Cyprus drive a Bitcoin rally.

BTC $90#cyprus#banking-crisis
GovernmentMajor

FinCEN Issues First Bitcoin Guidance

U.S. federal guidance classifies exchangers as money transmitters.

BTC $90#fincen#guidance
GovernmentLegendary

Silk Road Seized

FBI shuts down Silk Road and arrests Ross Ulbricht.

BTC $125#fbi#silk-road
GovernmentLegendary

FBI Moves 144,336 Seized BTC On-Chain

446 transactions of exactly 324 BTC each — spelling FBI on a phone keypad.

#fbi#silk-road
GovernmentLegendary

U.S. Senate Hearing — 'Legitimate Financial Services'

First major U.S. government hearing calls Bitcoin 'legitimate.'

BTC $450#senate#legitimacy
GovernmentMajor

Casascius Coins Shut Down by FinCEN

Mike Caldwell ceases sales after regulators classify loaded physical coins as money transmission.

BTC $950#casascius#fincen
PriceLegendary

Bitcoin Hits $1,000

Chinese demand drives Bitcoin past $1,000 for the first time.

BTC $1,000#1000-dollars#bull-run
GovernmentMajor

China Bans Banks from Bitcoin

PBOC prohibits financial institutions from handling Bitcoin.

BTC $1,000#china#ban
AdoptionMajor

HODL Meme Born on Bitcointalk

GameKyuubi's drunken typo becomes Bitcoin's investment philosophy.

BTC $600#hodl#meme
AdoptionMajor

Overstock Accepts Bitcoin

First major retailer to accept Bitcoin via Coinbase.

BTC $800#overstock#retail
SecurityLegendary

Mt. Gox Bankruptcy

850,000 BTC missing — the largest exchange failure in history.

BTC $550#mt-gox#hack
SecurityLegendary

Mt. Gox 'Lost' 200,000 BTC Found

180,000 BTC suddenly move on-chain while the exchange is bankrupt.

#mt-gox#exchange
GovernmentMajor

U.S. Marshals Auction Seized Silk Road BTC

Tim Draper wins 30,000 BTC government auction.

BTC $600#auction#silk-road
AdoptionMajor

Newegg Accepts Bitcoin

Major electronics retailer starts taking BTC via BitPay.

BTC $640#newegg#retail
GovernmentMajor

New York BitLicense Proposed

NYDFS proposes comprehensive state crypto regulation.

BTC $620#bitlicense#new-york
AdoptionMajor

Microsoft Accepts Bitcoin

Microsoft begins accepting BTC for Xbox and Windows Store.

BTC $350#microsoft#corporate
SecurityMajor

Bitstamp Hack — 19,000 BTC

Major exchange loses 19,000 BTC from hot wallet.

BTC $280#bitstamp#hack
PriceMajor

2015 Bear Market Bottom — $170

Bitcoin bottoms near $170 after Mt. Gox collapse.

BTC $170#bear-market#bottom
ExchangesMajor

Coinbase Raises $75M Series C

DFJ Growth leads major Coinbase funding round.

BTC $230#coinbase#venture-capital
ProtocolMajor

CoinWallet Spam Attack

Deliberate transaction flood clogs the mempool to push for bigger blocks.

#spam#block-size
ProtocolMajor

Blockstream Founded

Adam Back and Pieter Wuille launch Blockstream.

#blockstream#sidechains
LightningLegendary

Lightning Network Whitepaper

Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryja publish the Lightning Network paper.

#lightning#scaling
SecurityMajor

291 BTC Fee Mistake

A user accidentally paid 291 BTC in transaction fees — worth $136,000.

#fee#user-error
HalvingsLegendary

Second Halving

Block reward drops from 25 BTC to 12.5 BTC at block 420,000.

BTC $650#halving-2
SecurityMajor

Bitfinex Hack — 119,756 BTC

Second-largest exchange hack in Bitcoin history.

BTC $600#bitfinex#hack
PriceMajor

Bitcoin Reclaims $1,000

BTC breaks $1,000 for the first time since 2014.

BTC $1,000#recovery#1000-dollars
GovernmentMajor

Japan Recognizes Bitcoin as Legal Payment

Japan's Payment Services Act recognizes Bitcoin as legal payment method.

BTC $1,100#japan#legal
ProtocolMajor

UASF Movement Gains Momentum

Users threaten to reject non-SegWit blocks.

BTC $1,400#uasf#segwit
PriceMajor

Bitcoin Surpasses $3,000

ICO mania and Japanese legalization drive BTC past $3,000.

BTC $3,000#milestone#3000-dollars
ProtocolLegendary

BIP 91 Locks In — SegWit Path Cleared

Miners signal overwhelming support for SegWit activation.

BTC $2,700#segwit#uasf
ForksLegendary

Bitcoin Cash Hard Fork

Contentious fork creates Bitcoin Cash at block 478,558.

BTC $2,800#bitcoin-cash#fork
ProtocolEpoch

SegWit Activates

Segregated Witness goes live at block 481,824.

BTC $4,200#segwit#upgrade
PriceLegendary

Bitcoin Crosses $10,000

BTC breaks five figures for the first time.

BTC $10,000#milestone#10000-dollars
ExchangesMajor

CBOE Bitcoin Futures Launch

First regulated Bitcoin futures begin trading.

BTC $15,000#cboe#futures
PriceEpoch

Bitcoin ATH — $19,783

2017 bull market peaks near $20,000 before an 84% crash.

BTC $19,783#ath#2017-bull
ExchangesLegendary

CME Bitcoin Futures Launch

Wall Street's first major embrace of Bitcoin price exposure.

BTC $19,783#cme#futures
LightningLegendary

First Lightning Payment on Mainnet

Laszlo Hanyecz buys a router via Lightning — pizza guy strikes again.

#lightning#mainnet
PriceLegendary

2018 Bear Market Bottom — $3,200

84% drawdown from the 2017 peak tests diamond hands.

BTC $3,200#bear-market#bottom
AdoptionMajor

Proof of Keys Day Founded

Trace Mayer initiates annual self-custody event.

BTC $3,800#proof-of-keys#self-custody
LightningMajor

Lightning Surpasses 1,000 BTC Capacity

Layer-2 network reaches 1,000 BTC locked in channels.

BTC $4,100#lightning#capacity
SecurityMajor

Binance Hack — 7,000 BTC

Largest exchange hack of its era — SAFU fund covers losses.

BTC $8,000#binance#hack
AdoptionMajor

Trump Tweets About Bitcoin

'I am not a fan of Bitcoin' — presidential attention on crypto.

BTC $11,000#trump#twitter
ExchangesMajor

Bakkt Bitcoin Futures Launch

ICE launches physically-settled Bitcoin futures.

BTC $10,000#bakkt#futures
PriceLegendary

Black Thursday — COVID Crash

Bitcoin crashes 50% in two days — the fastest crash in its history.

BTC $3,800#covid#crash
ExchangesMajor

Paul Tudor Jones Allocates to Bitcoin

Legendary macro investor calls Bitcoin 'the fastest horse.'

BTC $8,600#macro#hedge-fund
HalvingsLegendary

Third Halving

Block reward drops from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC at block 630,000.

BTC $8,600#halving-3
GovernmentMajor

U.S. Banks Allowed to Custody Crypto

OCC green-lights national bank Bitcoin custody.

BTC $9,500#occ#custody
AdoptionEpoch

MicroStrategy Buys $250M in Bitcoin

Michael Saylor ignites the corporate treasury revolution.

BTC $11,300#microstrategy#corporate-treasury
AdoptionLegendary

PayPal Enables Bitcoin Buying

346 million users gain access to Bitcoin through PayPal.

BTC $12,800#paypal#mainstream
PriceLegendary

Bitcoin Reclaims 2017 All-Time High

BTC breaks $18,000 — entering price discovery.

BTC $18,000#ath#price-discovery
AdoptionLegendary

Tesla Buys $1.5B in Bitcoin

Elon Musk puts Tesla on the Bitcoin balance sheet.

BTC $46,000#tesla#elon-musk
PriceLegendary

Bitcoin Hits $1 Trillion Market Cap

BTC market cap joins the trillion-dollar club.

BTC $53,000#trillion#market-cap
ExchangesMajor

Morgan Stanley Offers Bitcoin to Wealth Clients

First big U.S. bank to offer BTC fund access.

BTC $53,000#morgan-stanley#wealth
PriceMajor

Bitcoin Reaches $60,000

Institutional adoption drives BTC past $60K.

BTC $60,000#milestone#60000-dollars
ExchangesLegendary

Coinbase Direct Listing

Largest crypto company goes public at $86B valuation.

BTC $63,000#coinbase#ipo
AdoptionMajor

Tesla Suspends Bitcoin Payments

Elon Musk reverses course citing environmental concerns.

BTC $50,000#tesla#environment
MiningLegendary

China Bans Bitcoin Mining

China's mining ban drops hashrate 50% — ultimately decentralizing mining.

BTC $40,000#china#mining-ban
GovernmentEpoch

El Salvador Adopts Bitcoin as Legal Tender

First nation-state to make Bitcoin legal tender.

BTC $36,000#el-salvador#legal-tender
AdoptionMajor

Bitcoin 2021 Miami Conference

12,000 attendees — the largest Bitcoin conference ever.

BTC $35,000#conference#miami
ProtocolMajor

Taproot Upgrade Locked In

Miners signal support for Bitcoin's biggest upgrade since SegWit.

BTC $36,000#taproot#upgrade
MiningMajor

El Salvador Volcano Geothermal Mining

Nation announces plans to mine BTC with volcanic energy.

BTC $39,000#volcano#geothermal
AdoptionMajor

El Salvador Chivo Wallet Launches

Citizens receive $30 in BTC via government wallet.

BTC $52,000#chivo#el-salvador
GovernmentLegendary

China Declares All Crypto Transactions Illegal

Most comprehensive crypto ban by any major economy.

BTC $42,000#china#ban
ExchangesMajor

BITO — First Bitcoin Futures ETF

Fastest ETF ever to reach $1B in assets.

BTC $64,000#etf#bito
PriceEpoch

Bitcoin ATH — $69,044

2021 bull market peaks at $69,044 — a 1,600% rally from COVID bottom.

BTC $69,044#ath#2021-bull
ProtocolLegendary

Taproot Activates

Bitcoin's biggest upgrade since SegWit — Schnorr signatures go live.

BTC $65,000#taproot#schnorr
SecurityLegendary

Terra/LUNA Collapse

Algorithmic stablecoin wipes $60B from the market.

BTC $26,000#terra#luna
SecurityMajor

Celsius Network Freezes Withdrawals

Crypto lender traps billions in customer funds.

BTC $26,000#celsius#lending
SecurityLegendary

FTX Collapse

Sam Bankman-Fried's exchange collapses amid fraud allegations.

BTC $16,800#ftx#fraud
PriceLegendary

2022 Bear Market Low — $15,476

FTX aftermath drives BTC to lowest price since 2020.

BTC $15,476#bear-market#bottom
SecurityMajor

Genesis Bankruptcy

Crypto lender files for bankruptcy owing $3.4B.

BTC $21,000#genesis#bankruptcy
ProtocolMajor

Bitcoin Ordinals & Inscriptions Boom

Ordinals enable NFT-like inscriptions on Bitcoin, sparking fee market debate.

BTC $23,000#ordinals#inscriptions
AdoptionMajor

SVB Collapse — Bitcoin Rallies

Banking crisis renews the money printer narrative.

BTC $22,000#svb#banking-crisis
AdoptionLegendary

BlackRock Files for Spot Bitcoin ETF

World's largest asset manager files for spot Bitcoin ETF.

BTC $26,000#blackrock#etf
GovernmentMajor

Grayscale Wins SEC Lawsuit

Court forces SEC to reconsider spot ETF conversion.

BTC $27,000#gbtc#grayscale
SecurityMajor

Paxos $500,000 Fee Mistake

Paxos pays 19.8 BTC in fees to send $200 — F2Pool refunds it five days later.

#fee#user-error
SecurityMajor

Record $3M Transaction Fee Mistake

A user paid 83.65 BTC in fees to move 55.77 BTC — the largest dollar fee ever.

#fee#user-error
GovernmentEpoch

SEC Approves Spot Bitcoin ETFs

11 spot Bitcoin ETFs approved simultaneously — the most significant regulatory event in Bitcoin history.

BTC $46,000#etf#sec
ExchangesLegendary

Spot Bitcoin ETFs Begin Trading

$4.6B volume on day one — most successful ETF launch ever.

BTC $46,500#etf#trading
ExchangesMajor

MicroStrategy Rebrands Around Bitcoin

Michael Saylor's company adopts Bitcoin orange branding.

BTC $57,000#microstrategy#saylor
PriceMajor

Bitcoin Surpasses $60K Pre-Halving 2024

First time BTC is higher at a halving than the prior cycle peak.

BTC $60,000#pre-halving#bull-market
PriceLegendary

Bitcoin ATH — $73,750

ETF inflows drive Bitcoin past its 2021 high before the halving.

BTC $73,750#ath#etf
HalvingsLegendary

Fourth Halving

Block reward drops from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC at block 840,000.

BTC $64,000#halving-4
ProtocolMajor

Runes Protocol Launches at Halving

Casey Rodarmor launches fungible tokens on Bitcoin at block 840,000.

BTC $64,000#runes#tokens
GovernmentMajor

Germany Sells Seized Bitcoin

50,000 BTC from Movie2k piracy site hits the market.

BTC $70,000#germany#seizure
GovernmentLegendary

Trump Speaks at Bitcoin 2024

'I will make the U.S. the crypto capital of the planet.'

BTC $67,000#trump#nashville
GovernmentMajor

Senator Lummis Proposes Bitcoin Reserve

Bill proposes U.S. purchase of 1 million BTC.

BTC $67,000#lummis#reserve
SecurityMajor

Mt. Gox Repayments Begin

Creditors receive BTC after a decade-long wait.

BTC $55,000#mt-gox#repayment
MiningMajor

Bitcoin Hashrate Hits All-Time High

Network hashrate exceeds 700 EH/s post-China ban.

BTC $63,000#hashrate#ath
PeopleMajor

Satoshi's ~1M BTC Still Unmoved

15+ years — Satoshi's estimated stash has never been spent.

BTC $72,000#satoshi#dormant
GovernmentLegendary

Trump Wins Presidential Election

Most pro-Bitcoin administration in U.S. history takes office.

BTC $68,000#trump#election
PriceEpoch

Bitcoin Breaks $100,000

Bitcoin crosses the six-figure threshold the community dreamed of since day one.

BTC $103,000#100000#milestone
GovernmentEpoch

U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Announced

Executive order establishes government Bitcoin holdings as national asset.

BTC $90,000#strategic-reserve#government
MiningMajor

90% of All Bitcoin Mined

Only 1.2 million BTC remain to be mined.

BTC $95,000#supply#scarcity