1
October 31, 2008
The whitepaper
Satoshi Nakamoto publishes “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” to a cryptography mailing list. The nine-page paper describes a system for electronic cash without a trusted third party.
Historical Reference Guide
Bitcoin Milestones
A chronological record of events that shaped the Bitcoin Network. Dates are drawn from primary sources, contemporaneous reporting, and documented on-chain activity.
2
January 3, 2009
Genesis block
Satoshi mines the first block. Embedded in it is the headline from The Times: “Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks.” The network is live.
3
January 9, 2009
First software release
Bitcoin v0.1 is released on SourceForge. Anyone can download the client, run a node, and begin mining.
4
January 11, 2009
“Running bitcoin”
Hal Finney tweets “Running bitcoin.” It is the first public record of someone outside Satoshi operating the software.
5
January 12, 2009
First transaction
Satoshi sends 10 BTC to Hal Finney in block 170. The first peer-to-peer transfer of bitcoin is recorded on the blockchain.
6
October 5, 2009
First exchange rate
New Liberty Standard publishes the first known dollar rate: $1 = 1,309.03 BTC, derived from electricity cost. A week later, the first known bitcoin-for-fiat trade occurs.
7
May 22, 2010
Bitcoin Pizza Day
Laszlo Hanyecz pays 10,000 BTC for two pizzas. It is the first documented purchase of a physical good with bitcoin.
8
July 18, 2010
Mt. Gox launches
Jed McCaleb launches Mt. Gox as a bitcoin exchange. It becomes the dominant trading venue of the early market.
9
December 16, 2010
First mining pool
Marek Palatinus (“slush”) launches the first cooperative mining pool. Miners can now combine hashrate and share rewards.
10
February 9, 2011
Bitcoin reaches $1
Bitcoin trades at one U.S. dollar for the first time. Parity with the dollar becomes a widely noted milestone.
11
August 19, 2011
First Bitcoin conference
Approximately fifty early participants gather at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York for the first in-person Bitcoin conference.
12
October 10, 2011
The New Yorker
The New Yorker publishes a feature on Bitcoin. It is among the earliest major magazine treatments of the subject for a general audience.
13
January 2013
First ASIC miners
The Avalon ASIC ships to the public. Application-specific hardware ends the era of CPU and GPU mining for Bitcoin and begins industrial-scale production.
14
April 1, 2013
Bitcoin reaches $100
Bitcoin crosses $100 amid the Cyprus banking crisis. Mainstream financial media begins sustained coverage.
15
November 27, 2013
Bitcoin reaches $1,000
Bitcoin trades above $1,000 for the first time. The four-digit price becomes a reference point for the next cycle.
16
December 2013
First hardware wallet
Trezor begins shipping the first purpose-built hardware wallet. Private keys can now be stored on a dedicated offline device.
17
December 10, 2017
Bitcoin futures on Wall Street
Cboe launches cash-settled bitcoin futures. CME follows a week later. Bitcoin is now listed on regulated U.S. derivatives exchanges.
18
November 28, 2017
Bitcoin reaches $10,000
Bitcoin crosses $10,000 during the retail-driven bull market. Media coverage becomes continuous.
19
April 14, 2021
Coinbase goes public
Coinbase lists on Nasdaq via direct listing. It is the first major bitcoin-native company to trade on a U.S. public exchange.
20
January 10, 2024
Spot bitcoin ETFs approved
The SEC approves multiple spot bitcoin ETFs. They begin trading the next day on NYSE Arca, Cboe, and Nasdaq. Institutional access expands without direct custody.
21
December 5, 2024
Bitcoin reaches $100,000
Bitcoin trades above $100,000 for the first time. The six-digit price becomes a new reference level for the asset.
22
2024–2025
Trillion-dollar market capitalization
Bitcoin’s market capitalization crosses $1 trillion and later $1.5 trillion. At peak levels it exceeds the market value of many of the world’s largest banks combined.
Dates are approximate where contemporaneous records vary. This page is educational only and does not provide financial, investment, or legal advice.