Ten years ago, Ethereum was just a bold idea, a vision of blockchain that could go beyond transactions and truly transform the internet. Today Ethereum stands as the foundation of decentralized finance , NFTs and countless blockchain innovations that define Web3.
But we celebrate its decade anniversary and one question echoes across the world of crypto: Which milestone reshaped Web3 forever?
Let’s take a quick dive into the past to let know who was behind it .
The spark that ignited a Revolution (2013-2015)
Every great movement starts with an idea and Ethereum’s story began in 2013 with Vitalik Buterin’s vision of blockchain that could do more than record transactions. He imagined a world computer that is capable of running applications without central control.
His dream came into reality in 2014 when a crowdfunding campaign raised over $18 million and provided people believe in this new vision. As time passed with continuous effort on July 30, 2015 the Ethereum mainnet was launched. It was a platform where anyone could build decentralized applications. This launch set the stage for what would become Web3 but later Ethereum also faced many problems in evolving .
The crisis that taught Ethereum to evolve (2016)
Ethereum’s first real test came a year later with the DAO hack resulting in the theft of over $50 million worth of Ether. A vulnerability in the code of a decentralized investment fund led to millions of dollars being drained. The incident threatened the future of the entire network.
And then the ETH community has made a controversial decision that is to hard fork the blockchain, returning stolen funds and saving the ecosystem. This move sparked debates about blockchain’s stability. It taught the platform the importance of security, governance and collective decision making decentralized networks.
As per CoinMarketCap At that time Ethereum was trading only at $11.13.
Now Ethereum has to build itself again and to make the world notice its move.
The era for builders and Breakthroughs (2017-2020)
Armed with new lessons Ethereum has entered its builder years by surprising the crypto world with these steps:
2017- ICO Boom: Startups launched their own tokens using Ethereum’s ERC-20 standard and fueling massive fundraising events and driving ETH’s price from $10 to nearly $900.
2018 to 2020- DeFi Surge: Even as prices crashed, real innovation flourished. Projects like MakerDAO, Uniswap and Compound emerged which allowed people to trade, lend and borrow without the traditional banks.
And by 2020s DeFi summer, billions of dollars were locked in Ethereum based platforms , providing decentralized finance that could rival traditional systems.
Ethereum shown a sudden rise when its price surged to $1,270.46 on January 13, 2018 then drowned by trading at $654.2 in the last month of 2022. It was becoming an unstoppable ecosystem of innovation which is ready to face the next wave of the internet.
Source: CoinMarketCap
NFTs and The merge: when Ethereum went mainstream (2021-2022)
If DeFi introduced Ethereum to finance, the NFTs introduced it to the world. In 2021, digital art, gaming assets and collectibles came on Ethereum. Suddenly people who had never heard of smart contracts were buying and selling NFTs in the millions. At that time ETH soared to an all time high of $4,891.7 which was fueled by this cultural evolution.
But the most revolutionary moment arrived in September 2022 with the Merge. Ethereum transitioned from energy-intensive proof of work to eco-friendly proof of stake. This move slashed its energy usage by over 99% making Ethereum greener and paving the way for faster and more scalable transactions.
But slowly Ethereum was gaining its position globally and earned users engagement more.
The institutional Era: Ethereum gains global recognition (2024-2025)
For years, skeptics argued that ETH was too volatile and risky mainstream adoption. That changed in 2024 when the U.S regulators approved Ethereum spot ETHs allowing traditional investors and big institutions to enter the market safely.
By 2025 billions of dollars had flowed into Ethereum ETFs to their treasuries. This wave was powered by real-world utility, infrastructure growth and institutional confidence.
BitMart also expressed Ethereum in 10 milestones on its X handle recently.
Source: X
Ethereum was not just the backbone of DeFi and NFTs anymore but it had become a recognized global asset class, bridging the gap between decentralized tech and traditional finance.
A future still being written: The Next Big Leap (2025 Beyond)
Despite its achievement, Ethereum’s journey is far from over. Recent upgrades like Dencun (2024) have improved efficiency while the upcoming Fusala upgrade (late 2025) promises faster, cheaper transactions for millions of users.
Beyond that the Glamsterdam upgrade (2026) aims to make Ethereum even more scalable and set the stage for mass adoption. The 10-year celebration features the Ethereum Torch NFT passed around the community to symbolize shared innovation and collaboration.
On July 30, the torch will be burned which will represent closure of one chapter and the start of another. Ethereum’s future lies in building a seamless, decentralized Web3 which is accessible to everyone and everywhere.
Conclusion: The moment that defined web3
Ethereum's decade-long journey has transformed blockchain from an idea into a global force shaping the internet’s future. Each milestone added a new possibility but The Merge in 2022 stands out as the turning point which provides decentralized networks that can evolve sustainability.
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