short history of crypto
2008 — The Idea
A person (or group) called Satoshi Nakamoto published the Bitcoin whitepaper — an idea for a digital, peer-to-peer money system.
2009 — Bitcoin is Born
Bitcoin (BTC) launched. The first block ("Genesis Block") was mined.
2010 — First Real Bitcoin Purchase
A programmer bought 2 pizzas for 10,000 BTC (worth hundreds of millions today!).
2011–2013 — Early Competition
Other coins like Litecoin, Ripple (XRP), and Namecoin appeared.
2015 — Smart Contracts with Ethereum
Ethereum launched, allowing not just money transfers but also programs (“smart contracts”) on the blockchain.
2017 — Crypto Goes Mainstream
Bitcoin hit $20,000 during its first big bull run.
The first wave of ICOs (initial coin offerings) raised billions.
2018 — The Big Crash
After the boom, crypto prices crashed hard; Bitcoin dropped to around $3,000.
2020–2021 — DeFi and NFTs Explode
DeFi (decentralized finance) and NFTs (digital collectibles) became super popular.
Bitcoin set a new all-time high near $69,000.
2022–2023 — Big Crashes and Recoveries
Some crypto companies collapsed (like FTX), causing a market crash.
Regulators (especially in the U.S.) started cracking down.
2024–2025 — New Growth Phase
Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) got approved, bringing Wall Street money into crypto.
Countries and big banks are creating their own digital currencies (CBDCs).
