Timeline
A Brief History
From a nine-page whitepaper to a multi-trillion dollar ecosystem in under 15 years.
The Whitepaper
Satoshi Nakamoto published "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System" — a 9-page document that described the first blockchain.
Genesis Block Mined
The first Bitcoin block is mined on 3 January. Embedded in it: a UK bank bailout headline — a statement about the broken financial system blockchain aimed to bypass.
First Real Purchase
Laszlo Hanyecz pays 10,000 BTC for two pizzas — the first commercial transaction. Those coins would later be worth over $600 million.
Ethereum Proposed
Vitalik Buterin publishes the Ethereum whitepaper, proposing a blockchain with a built-in programming language for smart contracts.
Ethereum Launches
The Ethereum network goes live, introducing smart contracts. Developers can now build decentralised applications on a global computer.
ICO Boom
Thousands of projects raise billions via Initial Coin Offerings. Bitcoin reaches $20,000 for the first time.
DeFi Summer
Total Value Locked in DeFi grows from $700M to $15B in a single year. Decentralised exchanges and yield farming explode.
NFT Explosion
Beeple's NFT sells for $69M at Christie's. NFTs bring digital ownership to art, music, and gaming.
Ethereum Merge
Ethereum switches from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake, reducing its energy consumption by ~99.95% overnight.
Institutional Adoption
Bitcoin spot ETFs approved in the US. Major banks and pension funds add crypto to portfolios. Layer 2 networks scale Ethereum to millions of TPS.
