Dogecoin (DOGE) is an open-source, peer-to-peer digital asset inspired by the popular "doge" internet meme featuring a Shiba Inu dog. Created by Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer, Dogecoin was introduced in December 2013 as an alternative to Bitcoin, with the intention to reach a broader audience. Unlike Bitcoin, which was designed to be scarce, Dogecoin is intentionally abundant — with 10,000 new coins mined every minute and no maximum supply. The creators envisioned Dogecoin as a friendly digital asset, and this ethos is encapsulated in its unofficial tagline: "Do Only Good Everyday". Dogecoin operates on blockchain technology, a decentralized system that records transactions on a public ledger maintained by a network of computers or nodes. For most of its existence, Dogecoin (pronounced "dohj coin") was considered to be an amusing "memecoin" beloved by its community — but with relatively little value. That changed in 2021, when DOGE became one of the larger cryptocurrencies by market cap — with a total value that topped $80 billion in 2021, even though each individual coin is worth pennies.
What is the history of Dogecoin?
Dogecoin was created in December 2013 by Billy Markus, a programmer from Portland, Oregon, and Jackson Palmer, a marketer from Sydney, Australia. The creators intended Dogecoin to be a friendly, light-hearted digital asset that would appeal to more than just the core Bitcoin audience. The Dogecoin logo, featuring a Shiba Inu dog, was inspired by the popular "doge" internet meme. In 2014, a non-profit foundation was formed to provide support and governance for the Dogecoin project. After several years of inactivity, the foundation was relaunched in 2021 with a renewed focus on supporting the Dogecoin ecosystem and promoting the future of the Dogecoin blockchain.
