The Latest Version Of The Crypto Calendar

Amidst all the buzz and excitement surrounding cryptocurrency, it’s intriguing to realize that this revolutionary concept has existed for almost half a century.

In the past decade alone, the world has witnessed seismic transformations in digital assets and crypto investments. To understand the origins and future trajectory of crypto, let’s dive into a concise history of these revolutionary financial instruments, aka a crypto calendar.

1983-2008: The Pre-Bitcoin Era

The first 25 years of digital currency development laid the groundwork for the rise of Bitcoin and other currencies.

In 1983, David Chaum introduced eCash, a platform to facilitate anonymous online money transfers. As a fervent advocate for digital privacy, Chaum utilized cryptographic technology, employing blind signatures to ensure secure and private interactions. This cryptographic foundation became fundamental to future currencies, giving birth to cryptocurrency’s “crypto” aspect.

The term “cryptocurrency” was officially coined in 1998. During this time, Wei Dai championed B-money, promoting a decentralized crypto model. While the term cryptocurrency endured, Wei Dai’s influence remained significant in the crypto world.

 

In fact, the smallest unit of Ether, Wei, is named in his honor, as his concept of a decentralized payment system using cryptography became a cornerstone of modern cryptocurrencies.

Meanwhile, the 2008 economic collapse severely shook the foundations of the financial industry. As traditional currencies lost value and public trust in banks and financial institutions wavered, the market exposed the flaws in existing systems. This scenario created a fertile ground for the adoption of a decentralized alternative.

Satoshi Nakamoto, the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin, drew inspiration from this period and even referenced the bank bailout in Bitcoin’s genesis block.

2008-2023: Bitcoin Birth to Boom

In this timeframe, Bitcoin transitioned from being the sole cryptocurrency known to a few, or even unknown to many, to becoming the most sought-after investment opportunity in the blockchain space. While other cryptocurrencies existed, Bitcoin brought the concept of crypto into the limelight, capturing the public’s attention.

Along the way, various events shaped the crypto industry into what it is today. These events encompassed a spectrum of occurrences, such as coin launches, hacks, regulatory scrutiny, widespread adoption, and substantial venture capital investments. Each of these milestones played a crucial part in shaping the landscape of Web3 as we know it.

Let’s dive into the timeline to understand this fascinating journey!

2008
  • Bitcoin Emerges: Satoshi Nakamoto publishes the revolutionary Bitcoin whitepaper titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.”
2009
  • Genesis Block Mined: The first block on the Bitcoin blockchain, known as the ‘genesis block,’ is successfully mined by Satoshi Nakamoto.
  • Historic Transaction: Satoshi Nakamoto sends 10 BTC to Hal Finney, marking the first-ever Bitcoin transaction.
  • New Liberty Standard: The first website to sell Bitcoin, New Liberty Standard, is established.

2010
  • Bitcoin’s Valuation: Bitcoin achieves its initial valuation in the traditional currency as 10,000 BTC is used to purchase two pizzas.
  • First Cryptocurrency Exchange: Bitcoin Market becomes the world’s first cryptocurrency exchange.
  • Mt. Gox Launch: The pioneering Bitcoin exchange, Mt. Gox, is launched.
  • Blockchain Terminology: Previously referred to as the ‘Proof-of-Work chain,’ the term “blockchain” appears first on the BitcoinTalk forum.
  • Emergency Hard Fork: A bug in the Bitcoin protocol necessitates an emergency hard fork.
2011
  • Altcoins Emerge: Namecoin, Litecoin, and other alternative cryptocurrencies are introduced, expanding the crypto landscape.
  • Bitcoin Generation Milestone: One-quarter of the eventual total of 21 million bitcoins gets generated.
  • Bitcoin Reaches Parity: Bitcoin’s value reaches parity with the US Dollar for the first time.
  • WikiLeaks Accepts Bitcoin: WikiLeaks begins accepting Bitcoin donations.
  • Mt. Gox Hacked: Mt. Gox suffered a major hack, leading to a suspension of trading and a sharp decline in Bitcoin’s price.
  • Silk Road Launches: The infamous dark web marketplace, Silk Road, commences operations, accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment.
2012
  • First Bitcoin Halving: The inaugural Bitcoin halving event reduces the block reward from 50 BTC to 25 BTC.
  • Bitcoin Foundation Established: Gavin Andresen founded the Bitcoin Foundation with the mission to standardize and promote the use of Bitcoin.
  • Blockchain in Estonia: The Government of Estonia has started integrating blockchain tech into digital ID initiatives.
  • Bitcoin Magazine Launch: Mihai Alisie and Vitalik Buterin founded Bitcoin Magazine and published its first issue.
  • Coinbase Funding: Coinbase, one of the leading CEXs, secures over $600,000 in funding.
  • The Inception Of Colored Coins: The concept of Bitcoin-based colored coins goes live, paving the way for the development of BRC-20 tokens.
  • BitPay’s Merchant Acceptance: BitPay reports over 1,000 merchants accepting Bitcoin through its payment processing service.
  • Proof of Stake Concept: The 2012 Peercoin paper introduces the Proof of Stake concept.

2013
  • Cryptocurrency Market Rally and Crash: A significant market rally sees Bitcoin prices surge from $13 to $220, only to drop to $70.
  • Bitcoin’s Total Value: The total value of all Bitcoins in circulation surpasses 1 billion USD, with 11 million Bitcoins in existence.
  • Bitcoin Price Milestone: Bitcoin’s price reaches $1,000 for the first time in history.
  • Silk Road Takedown: The FBI shuts down Silk Road, confiscating its Bitcoin holdings.
  • Ethereum Proposal: Vitalik Buterin introduces the proposal for Ethereum, introducing the concept of a generalized blockchain and smart contracts.
  • Launch Dogecoin: Dogecoin, a notable meme coin, has been launched and is gaining popularity.
  • Reddit’s Bitcoin Acceptance: Reddit has started accepting Bitcoin as a payment option for Gold memberships.
  • Major Cryptocurrency Theft: The founder of the Bitcoin forum falls victim to a major theft, losing 25,000 BTC.
  • First ICO by Mastercoin: Mastercoin becomes the first project to conduct an Initial Coin Offering (ICO).
  • Bitcoin’s Legal Status: A US Federal Court declares Bitcoin as a form of currency or money.
  • First Bitcoin ATM: The world’s first Bitcoin ATM begins operations at Waves Coffee Shop in Vancouver.
  • US Senate Bitcoin Hearings: The US Senate holds its first-ever hearings on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.
  • China’s Stance on Bitcoin: The People’s Bank of China initially approved Bitcoin, leading to a surge in trading volume. However, Chinese authorities later reverse their stance, declaring it is not a currency.
2014
  • UK’s HMRC Classifies Bitcoin: The UK’s HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officially classify Bitcoin as private money.
  • DDoS Attack on Major Exchanges: Three major exchanges, Mt. Gox, Bitstamp, and BTC-e, suffered a major DDoS attack.
  • Mt. Gox Collapse: Mt. Gox suspends trading and files for bankruptcy after losing 850,000 BTC.
  • IRS Guidance on Virtual Currency: The IRS provides guidance, treating virtual currency as property in the United States for tax purposes.
  • Stripe Accepts Bitcoin: Credit card processor Stripe started accepting Bitcoin as a form of payment.
  • US Marshals Auction Bitcoin: The US Marshals Service auctions off 30,000 Bitcoins seized from Silk Road, all purchased by venture capitalist Tim Draper.
  • World’s First NFT: Kevin McCoy mints Quantum, considered the world’s first Non-Fungible Token.
  • First Stablecoin Launched: BitUSD, the first stablecoin, was launched by BitShares.
  • Ethereum Foundation Formed: Vitalik Buterin and other members of the Ethereum founding team established the Ethereum Foundation to oversee the development of the Ethereum platform.
  • Ethereum Fundraising: Ethereum conducts initial fundraising via an ether presale, raising 31,591 BTC (~$18,439,086) over 42 days.
  • First CFTC Approved Bitcoin Swap: TeraExchange launches the first US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved Bitcoin over-the-counter swap.
  • Bitcoin Adoption Grows: By the year’s end, major companies, including Paypal, Zynga, Overstock.com, Expedia, Newegg, Dell, Dish Network, and Microsoft, start accepting Bitcoin for payments.

2015
  • Ethereum’s Launch: The Ethereum network officially goes live on July 30 with its “Frontier” release.
  • First DApps on Ethereum: Developers start building decentralized applications on Ethereum’s platform.
  • Coinbase’s Cryptocurrency Exchange: Coinbase opens the first U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange.
  • NASDAQ’s Blockchain Trial: NASDAQ initiates a blockchain trial to explore its potential applications.
  • First Token Launch on Ethereum: Augur conducts the first token launch on the Ethereum network.
  • Bitcoin on The Economist: The front cover of The Economist magazine features Bitcoin.
  • Zero Knowledge Proof Announcement: The announcement of the first zero-knowledge proof, ZK-Snarks, marks a significant development in privacy technology.
  • ERC-20 Token Standard Proposal: Developers propose the ERC-20 token standard, becoming a crucial foundation for many tokens and ICOs.
  • Segregated Witness (SegWit) Proposal: Pieter Wuille releases “Segregated witness and its impact on scalability,” addressing scalability issues in Bitcoin
2016
  • Second Bitcoin Halving: The block reward for Bitcoin reduces to 12.5 BTC.
  • Bitcoin Lightning Network Proposal: Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryja release “The Bitcoin Lightning Network: Scalable On-Chain Instant Payments,” introducing a potential scaling solution for Bitcoin.
  • Zcash Announcement: Alessandro Chiesa and other developers announce the cryptocurrency Zcash, emphasizing enhanced privacy features.
  • Second Ethereum Mainnet Release: Ethereum’s Homestead version is rolled out, further refining the Ethereum network.
  • DAO Attack: The Decentralized Autonomous Organization on Ethereum suffers an attack, resulting in a split into Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC).
  • CME Bitcoin Price Index: CME launches the Bitcoin Price Index, contributing to the growing interest in Bitcoin as an asset.

2017
  • Bitcoin Price Surge: Bitcoin’s price reaches over US$1,000 for the first time in three years and eventually surges to nearly $20,000.
  • Bitcoin Cash Fork: Due to scalability debates, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is forked from the original Bitcoin network.
  • Enterprise Ethereum Alliance: Business titans including JPMorgan, Microsoft, and Accenture formed Enterprise Ethereum Alliance to customize Ethereum for industry applications.
  • SEC Rejects Bitcoin ETFs: The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rejects multiple applications for Bitcoin exchange-traded funds.
  • Bitcoin Legalization in Japan: Japan recognizes Bitcoin as a legal payment method, fostering mainstream adoption.
  • ICO Boom: The crypto market experiences a boom with the launch of numerous ICOs, raising substantial funds.
  • EOS ICO: EOS begins a year-long ICO, raising an impressive $4 billion total.
  • Ethereum Upgrades: Ethereum releases the Byzantium soft fork network upgrade, part one of the Metropolis upgrade.
  • Parity Wallet Hack: The Parity hack exposes vulnerabilities in multi-sig wallets.
  • China’s ICO Ban: China bans ICOs within its borders.
  • CME Announces Bitcoin Futures: CME Group announces the launch of Bitcoin futures contracts, increasing institutional interest in cryptocurrencies.
  • Lightning Network 1.0: Joseph Poon and Thaddeus Dryja released the Lightning Network Protocol 1.0, promising enhanced scalability for Bitcoin.
  • MakerDAO Introduces DAI: MakerDAO launches DAI, paving the way for DeFi applications.
  • CryptoPunks NFT Launch: CryptoPunks is introduced as one of the first major NFT projects on Ethereum, offering limited pixel art characters.
  • Long Blockchain Corp Renaming: Long Island Iced Tea Corp rebrands itself as Long Blockchain Corp, leading to a stock price surge of ~200%.
  • ICO Proliferation: In 2017, 435 successful ICOs raised a cumulative total of over $5.6 billion, showcasing the rapid growth of the crypto market.

2018
  • RSK Mainnet Launch: Rootstock (RSK), powered by IOVlabs, launches its full-featured mainnet network.
  • Crypto Market Downturn: The crypto market experiences a major downturn, significantly dropping Bitcoin’s value.
  • Ethereum Scalability Discussions: The Ethereum community discusses scalability solutions, exploring concepts like sharding and Plasma.
  • CryptoKitties Phenomenon: The popularity of a DApp game called CryptoKitties causes congestion on the Ethereum network, highlighting scalability issues.
  • Switzerland Accepts Bitcoin for Tax Payments: Switzerland has started accepting tax payments in Bitcoin, recognizing its legitimacy as a form of payment.
  • Crypto Ad Ban by Tech Giants: Facebook, Google, and Twitter banned all cryptocurrency-related ads on their platforms.
  • EU Commits Funds for Blockchain Projects: The EU government pledges $300 million to support the development of blockchain projects.
  • Ether Declared Not a Security: The SEC states that ETH is not considered a security.
  • South Korea Invests in Blockchain: The South Korean government invests millions in blockchain development initiatives.
  • Bakkt Announced: The New York Stock Exchange owner announces Bakkt, a regulated digital asset exchange.
  • Fidelity Launches Institutional Platform: Fidelity introduces an institutional platform for cryptocurrencies.
  • Bitcoin’s 10th Anniversary: Bitcoin has celebrated its 10th birthday since its inception.
  • Blockchain VC Investment Surpasses $1 Billion: Venture capital investment in blockchain technology exceeds $1 billion.
  • Banks Explore Blockchain Technology: Approximately 90% of banks in the US and Europe report exploring the potential of blockchain tech.
  • Token Launches Raise Over $20 Billion: In the first four months of the year, token launches raised a total of $6.3 billion, surpassing the previous year. Throughout the year, token launches raise more than $20 billion.
2019
  • Commercial Buy-In: Facebook announces its cryptocurrency project, initially called Libra (later renamed Diem). Major corporations such as Microsoft, JP Morgan, Chase, Amazon, IBM, and Walmart also show interest in Ethereum.
  • Coinstar Selling Cryptocurrency: Coinstar machines start offering cryptocurrency sales at grocery stores across the US.
  • Bitcoin Transaction Milestone: Bitcoin surpasses 400 million total transactions.
  • US Senate Blockchain Hearings: The United States Senate holds hearings titled ‘Examining Regulatory Frameworks for Digital Currencies and Blockchain.”
  • SEC Fines Block.One: The SEC fines Block.One $24 million for its unregulated $4 billion EOS ICO.
  • Santander Settles Bond on Ethereum: Santander Bank settles both sides of a $20 million bond transaction on the Ethereum blockchain.
  • DApp Growth on Ethereum: Over 3,000 DApps are created, with 2,700 built on the Ethereum platform.
  • NBA Top Shot Launch: Dapper Labs, creators of CryptoKitties, partner with the NBA to launch NBA Top Shot, a platform for buying, selling, and trading officially licensed NBA collectible highlights.
  • Bitcoin’s Recovery: Bitcoin starts a recovery trend, with its price surpassing $10,000 by mid-year.
  • Ethereum 2.0 Roadmap: The Ethereum Foundation releases an updated roadmap for Ethereum 2.0, outlining the transition to a Proof of Stake consensus mechanism.
  • Istanbul & Constantinople Upgrades: Ethereum undergoes multiple network upgrades, including Istanbul and Constantinople.

2020
  • COVID-19 Hits: The coronavirus pandemic impacts the economy, leading to the Federal Reserve implementing monetary stimulus measures.
  • Third Bitcoin Halving: The block reward for Bitcoin reduces to 6.25 BTC.
  • DeFi Movement Gains Traction: DeFi experiences significant growth on Ethereum, with crypto lending becoming more mainstream.
  • Ethereum 2.0 Phase 0: The Beacon Chain, the first phase of Ethereum 2.0, is launched, initiating Ethereum’s transition to Proof of Stake.
  • bZx Flash Loan Attacks: Flash loan attacks occur in DeFi, with bad actors exploiting flash loans without collateral.
  • Black Thursday Market Crash: In a volatile day of trading, Bitcoin and Ether drop by 50% as the World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a pandemic.
  • China Launches Digital Yuan: China leads the global race for digital currencies by launching its digital yuan.
  • DeFi Yield Farming Craze: Compound’s governance token COMP triggers a yield farming craze in the DeFi sector.
  • Uniswap’s Community Governance: Uniswap airdrops its governance token to enhance protocol decentralization.
  • Bitcoin’s ‘Digital Gold’ Narrative: Bitcoin gains momentum as a digital store of value, surpassing $20,000 to reach a new all-time high.
  • DeFi Locked Value Reaches $10 Billion: The total value locked in DeFi protocols exceeds $10 billion.
  • PayPal Embraces Crypto: PayPal announces its support for cryptocurrencies, significantly boosting mainstream crypto adoption.

Second Half of 2020
  • Institutional Money Inflows: 2020 witnessed long-awaited institutional investments in Bitcoin, with prominent figures and companies like Paul Tudor Jones, Michael Saylor, CitiBank, Grayscale, and Stanley Druckenmiller supporting the digital asset.
  • Stablecoin Adoption Soars: Stablecoins gain widespread adoption, and Circle partners with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Airtm.
  • Visa Accepts USDC Payments: Visa integrates USDC payments into its platform.
  • S&P Dow Jones Cryptocurrency Indices: S&P Dow Jones introduces cryptocurrency indices.
  • Ripple-SEC Saga Begins: The SEC files a lawsuit against Ripple Labs, accusing the company of conducting an unregistered securities offering by selling its XRP tokens worth $1.3 billion.
  • US Congress and the STABLE Act: The US Congress introduced the STABLE Act, focusing on stablecoin regulation.
2021
  • Cryptocurrency Market Cap Surpasses $2 Trillion: The total market cap of cryptocurrencies surpasses $2 trillion after previously reaching $1 trillion in the same year (2021).
  • Bitcoin Reaches New All-Time Highs: Bitcoin achieves new all-time highs as values exceed over $65,000.
  • Stacks Bitcoin Layer Launches: The Stacks Bitcoin Layer launches to facilitate smart contracts on the Bitcoin blockchain.
  • Ethereum Gas Fee Surge: Ethereum gas fees reach all-time highs due to increased network usage.
  • London Hard Fork: Ethereum implements the London hard fork, introducing EIP-1559 to change fee structure and fee burning.
  • NFT Boom: Interest in NFTs surges, especially after Beeple’s $69 million NFT sale.
  • Elon Musk’s Impact: Elon Musk’s tweets and Tesla’s investment in Bitcoin create market volatility.
  • Coinbase Goes Public: Coinbase becomes a publicly listed company on the Nasdaq.
  • El Salvador Adopts Bitcoin: El Salvador adopts Bitcoin as legal tender.
  • China’s Crypto Crackdown: The People’s Bank of China intensifies its cryptocurrency crackdown.
  • First U.S. Bitcoin ETF: The first US futures-based bitcoin ETF, ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO), is launched.
  • Taproot Upgrade: Bitcoin activates the Taproot upgrade, the first upgrade in four years.
  • Crypto Regulation Intensifies: As crypto lobbyists emerged, lawmakers turned their attention to regulation.
  • DAO Goes Mainstream: DAOs made a splash in the mainstream after ConstitutionDAO successfully raised over $40 million to acquire a rare copy of the U.S. Constitution at auction.
  • Rise of the Metaverse: The metaverse concept gains traction with Facebook’s rebranding to “Meta” and other companies entering the virtual space.

2022
  • The Fed Raises Rates to Tackle Inflation: The Federal Reserve raises its benchmark rate by a half-percentage point to combat surging inflation, the most significant increase since 2000.
  • Axie Infinity’s Ronin Network Hacked: Hackers steal approximately US$625 million worth of cryptocurrencies from the Ronin network supporting Axie Infinity, marking one of the largest crypto hacks ever.
  • Terra Collapse: TerraUSD, a stablecoin pegged to $1, falls below its fixed value, causing the Terra ecosystem to crash.
  • Bitcoin’s Value Drop: Bitcoin experiences a 70% drop from its all-time high in November 2021 by July 2022.
  • The Merge: Ethereum undergoes an upgrade known as “The Merge,” transitioning from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake, making the network 99.99% more energy-efficient.
  • Tornado Cash on SDN List: Tornado Cash, an Ethereum mixing platform, is sanctioned by The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury.
  • Crypto Hackers in October: October becomes the biggest month for crypto hackers, with over US$718 million stolen from DeFi platforms.
  • FTX Empire Collapse: FTX files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, is arrested and later transferred to US custody.
  • Leading Entities Collapse: Celsius, BlockFi, Three Arrows Capital, and Voyager file for bankruptcy protection amid market challenges.
  • Crypto Market Crash: The cryptocurrency market experiences a crash, with Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most crypto assets plummeting to 75%. The total market cap hovers around $800 million, and liquidity becomes an issue.
  • Major Company Stocks Perform Poorly: Throughout the year, major company stocks faced significant declines, with Apple (-25%), Microsoft (-29%), Google (-38%), Amazon (-49%), Netflix (-51%), Meta (-65%), and Tesla (-65%) all performing poorly.

2023
  • Genesis Collapses: Genesis’ crypto lending businesses file for bankruptcy protection.
  • Bitcoin Ordinals: Bitcoin Ordinals gain popularity in the NFT space and the crypto world.
  • MicroStrategy Increases Bitcoin Holdings: Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy doubles down on its Bitcoin bet, increasing its holdings to $4 billion.
  • BTC Rises on Banking Sector Concerns: Fresh concerns for the banking sector as Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic collapses lead Bitcoin’s price back to over $30,000.
  • BlackRock Spot ETF Filing Boosts Bitcoin Trading: Trading activity in Bitcoin increases following BlackRock’s spot ETF filing.
  • Ripple Wins SEC Lawsuit: Ripple emerges victorious in its lawsuit against the SEC, marking one of the most significant legal wins in the history of cryptocurrencies.
  • Mt. Gox’s Creditors Repayment: The trustee of the hacked exchange, Mt. Gox, announces plans to repay the exchange’s creditors by the end of October 2023.
Conclusion

In the span of several decades, the world of cryptocurrency has undergone a remarkable transformation. From its humble beginnings in the pre-Bitcoin era, where visionaries like David Chaum and Wei Dai laid the groundwork for cryptographic digital currencies, to the launch of Bitcoin in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, the journey has been nothing short of revolutionary.

The past decade, in particular, has witnessed unprecedented shifts in the digital assets landscape. The rise of Bitcoin as a store of value, often called “digital gold,” has captured individual investors’ and institutional players’ attention. The emergence of altcoins, NFTs, and DeFi has opened up new possibilities for blockchain and smart contract applications.

However, this journey has not been without challenges and setbacks. The crypto industry has faced its fair share of hacks, scams, and market volatility, prompting regulatory scrutiny and testing the resilience of the ecosystem.

Nevertheless, the years ahead promise further advancements as the world embraces the digital revolution. The future of finance has arrived, undeniably intertwined with the rise of web3 and decentralized techs!

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Disclaimer
The information discussed by Altcoin Buzz is not financial advice. This is for educational, entertainment, and informational purposes only. Any information or strategies are thoughts and opinions relevant to the accepted levels of risk tolerance of the writer/reviewers and their risk tolerance may be different than yours. We are not responsible for any losses that you may incur as a result of any investments directly or indirectly related to the information provided. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments so please do your due diligence. Copyright Altcoin Buzz Pte Ltd.

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