1. Vitalik Wanted Ethereum to Be a World Computer – Literally
He envisioned Ethereum as a global decentralized computer where every dApp would run like software on one machine. Wild, right? We're still not fully there.
2. Ethereum Was Almost Built on Colored Coins
Before writing Ethereum’s whitepaper, Vitalik considered building it on top of Bitcoin using colored coins. But Bitcoin devs said "no," so he built his own chain.
3. There's a Forgotten 'Ethereum 1.5' Plan
Before “The Merge,” Ethereum planned an intermediate version called Ethereum 1.5 with hybrid PoW/PoS. It never happened, but it’s still in old dev docs.
4. ETH Has an Uncle Problem 👨🦳
Ethereum includes uncle blocks—near-valid blocks that didn’t make it into the chain but still get partially rewarded. It’s a unique feature to reduce centralization.
5. There’s a Hidden ETH Burn from Self-Destructing Contracts
Some smart contracts self-destruct and leave ETH behind. That ETH becomes completely inaccessible. Dead. Lost. Forever. It's called the “black hole” effect.
6. Ethereum Once Tried Sharding… On a Spreadsheet
Before any code was written, the first sharding models were literally done in Excel. Early ETH devs modeled future networks using colored cells. No joke.
7. Vitalik Has a Philosophy Degree... Kind of
While he dropped out of university, Vitalik’s writings blend crypto with deep political and philosophical thought—think Hayek, Fukuyama, even Gödel.
8. Ethereum Gas Doesn’t Just “Go Up” – It’s an Auction War
Gas prices aren’t fixed—they’re part of a priority gas auction system. Every block is a mini bidding war. That’s why fees spike in chaos.
9. There’s an Ethereum Testnet That Keeps Dying and Coming Back
Ropsten, Goerli, Sepolia... Testnets come and go. Some are deprecated. Some fork. Some revive like crypto zombies. Devs love them. Users get lost.
10. Ethereum Might Outlive Its Own Coin
Long-term ETH's tech layer could be used by governments and megacorps without ever using ETH the token. A decentralized network… without the decentralization?
