Every major Bitcoin milestone from Satoshi's 2008 whitepaper through the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve — the full arc of the hardest money ever invented.
2008
📄Oct 31, 2008
Bitcoin Whitepaper
Satoshi Nakamoto publishes "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" — 9 pages that would change the global monetary order.
Satoshi mines block #0. Embedded message: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks." The statement of purpose was set.
Origins
✉️Jan 12, 2009
First Bitcoin Transaction
Satoshi sends 10 BTC to Hal Finney in block #170 — the first peer-to-peer Bitcoin transfer in history.
Origins
2010
🍕May 22, 2010
Bitcoin Pizza Day
Laszlo Hanyecz pays 10,000 BTC for two pizzas — the first documented real-world Bitcoin purchase. Now worth over $900M at 2024 prices.
Origins
2011
💵Feb 2011
Dollar Parity
1 BTC = 1 USD for the first time on the Mt. Gox exchange. Bitcoin officially has a dollar value.
Growth
2012
✂️Nov 28, 2012
First Halving
Block reward halves from 50 BTC to 25 BTC at block #210,000. The first programmatic supply tightening in Bitcoin's history.
Origins
2013
🚀Nov 2013
Bitcoin Hits $1,000
Bitcoin crosses $1,000 for the first time, driven by the Cyprus banking crisis and growing mainstream curiosity. A new monetary asset was emerging.
Growth
2014
💥Feb 2014
Mt. Gox Collapse
Mt. Gox, then handling 70% of global BTC volume, files for bankruptcy after losing ~850,000 BTC (~$450M). Bitcoin's first major systemic failure — and lesson in custody.
Crash
2016
✂️Jul 9, 2016
Second Halving
Block reward drops from 25 BTC to 12.5 BTC at block #420,000. Each halving reduces Bitcoin's inflation rate, historically preceding bull markets.
Origins
2017
⚡Aug 24, 2017
SegWit Activated
Segregated Witness (BIP141) activates on Bitcoin mainnet — a scalability upgrade enabling faster transactions and paving the way for the Lightning Network.
Growth
🏦Dec 2017
CME Futures Launch & $20K ATH
Bitcoin hits ~$20,000 as CME Group launches regulated Bitcoin futures. Wall Street officially enters the arena. The first retail mania peaks.
Mainstream
2020
✂️May 11, 2020
Third Halving
Block reward drops from 12.5 to 6.25 BTC at block #630,000 — during COVID-19 lockdowns, as central banks unleashed historic money printing. Bitcoin's thesis strengthens.
Origins
🏢Aug 2020
MicroStrategy's First Bitcoin Buy
MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor announces a $250M Bitcoin purchase — the first publicly traded company to adopt BTC as its primary treasury reserve asset. Corporate adoption begins.
Mainstream
2021
🚗Feb 2021
Tesla Buys $1.5B in Bitcoin
Tesla announces a $1.5B Bitcoin purchase and briefly accepts BTC as payment for vehicles. Elon Musk's involvement ignites mass retail attention. Tesla later sells most holdings.
Mainstream
📈Apr 14, 2021
Coinbase IPO
Coinbase (COIN) lists on Nasdaq — the first major U.S. crypto exchange to go public. Valued at $86B on day one, signaling institutional legitimacy for the entire sector.
Mainstream
🇸🇻Jun 9, 2021
El Salvador: Bitcoin Legal Tender
El Salvador becomes the first sovereign nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender. President Bukele's Chivo wallet rolls out to 3M+ citizens. A geopolitical inflection point.
Bitcoin reaches $69,044 — its all-time high at the time. A 300x increase from the 2017 peak. The institutional cycle had arrived.
Growth
2022
🌊May 2022
Terra/LUNA Collapse
The Terra blockchain and its algorithmic stablecoin UST implode, wiping ~$40B from markets in days. Cascading liquidations hit Bitcoin hard — down 70% from highs.
Crash
🏴☠️Nov 2022
FTX Collapse
FTX files for bankruptcy with an $8B hole. Sam Bankman-Fried is arrested for fraud. Bitcoin drops to $16K. The industry's worst scandal — and the strongest argument for self-custody.
Crash
2024
🏛️Jan 10, 2024
Spot Bitcoin ETFs Approved
The SEC approves 11 spot Bitcoin ETFs — including BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust. Over $10B flows in within days. Bitcoin is now accessible through every brokerage account in America.
Block reward drops from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC at block #840,000. Annual supply issuance now below 1%. Bitcoin's inflation rate falls below gold's for the first time.
Origins
🔝Mar 14, 2024
New ATH: $73,800
Bitcoin sets a new all-time high of $73,800 — fueled by ETF inflows and the upcoming halving. The institutional cycle is now fully underway.
Growth
🗳️Nov 5, 2024
Trump Wins on Pro-Bitcoin Platform
Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election on the first openly pro-Bitcoin platform in U.S. history, pledging a national Bitcoin reserve and crypto-friendly regulation. Bitcoin surges to $90K post-election.
Political
2025
🇺🇸Mar 6, 2025
U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve
President Trump signs an executive order establishing the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve — directing the Treasury to hold seized and newly acquired Bitcoin as a sovereign reserve asset. Satoshi's experiment becomes U.S. policy.