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Bitcoin Turns 17: Seventeen Surprising Facts About the Cryptocurrency That Changed Everything

MarketDash Editorial Team
1 day ago
January 3 marks Bitcoin's 17th birthday, celebrating the day Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block that launched the cryptocurrency revolution. From pizza purchases worth hundreds of millions to lost hard drives and mysterious statues, here are 17 fascinating facts about the world's leading digital currency.

January 3 might seem like just another early January day, but for cryptocurrency enthusiasts, it's basically Christmas. Sixteen years ago on this date, an anonymous figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block of Bitcoin (BTC), fundamentally transforming how we think about money and digital assets.

To mark Bitcoin's 17th birthday, we've gathered 17 compelling facts about the cryptocurrency that started it all.

The Pizza That Cost $899 Million

Let's start with what might be the most famous transaction in cryptocurrency history. On May 22, 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz made history by paying 10,000 Bitcoin for two pizzas from Papa John's International. This wasn't just any pizza order—it was the first time Bitcoin was used to purchase actual goods in the real world.

At the time, those pizzas cost about $41. The Bitcoin used for that transaction would be worth over $899 million at today's prices. The cryptocurrency community now celebrates May 22 as Bitcoin Pizza Day every year, commemorating what might be the most expensive pizza order ever made.

Ethereum's Founder Got His Start Writing About Bitcoin

Before Vitalik Buterin became famous as a co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), he was writing about Bitcoin. In 2011, Buterin took a side job with Bitcoin Weekly, earning five Bitcoin for each article he wrote. Later that same year, he founded Bitcoin Magazine and served as its lead writer.

Buterin didn't launch the white paper for Ethereum until late 2013, and the cryptocurrency officially went live on July 30, 2015. But his journey into the crypto world started with Bitcoin journalism—not a bad gig when you consider what those five-Bitcoin payments would be worth today.

The $700 Million Hard Drive Sitting in a Landfill

James Howells has what might be the most painful Bitcoin story of all time. Back in 2013, he threw out a hard drive containing his digital wallet with 8,000 Bitcoins inside. The Wales resident has been trying ever since to convince his local city council to let him excavate the landfill where the hard drive ended up.

Howells offered the city a portion of the proceeds if they'd allow him to search. When that didn't work, he sued the local city council in 2024 for refusing to grant permission. Adding insult to injury, his ex-girlfriend revealed in 2024 that she was the one who actually threw the hard drive away. Those 8,000 Bitcoin are now worth over $700 million, sitting somewhere under tons of garbage.

The Mystery Creator Who's Still Anonymous

Seventeen years later, we still don't know who created Bitcoin. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in the tech world. Craig Wright fought in court to claim he was Satoshi, but the cryptocurrency community largely dismissed his assertion. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has supported the theory that computer scientist Nick Szabo created Bitcoin, and Szabo is indeed one of about a dozen names frequently mentioned as potential candidates.

A 2024 documentary titled "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery" from investigative filmmaker Cullen Hoback added another name to the list, suggesting that Bitcoin engineer Peter Todd is most likely Satoshi Nakamoto. Todd denied the claim.

Whoever Nakamoto is, they're extraordinarily wealthy. The anonymous founder is estimated to hold between 600,000 and 1.1 million Bitcoin.

The White Paper That Started Everything

Before there was a genesis block, there was an idea. On October 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." This document laid out the conceptual framework including time-stamped transactions, proof-of-work, privacy protections, and a simplified payment verification method.

"A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution," the opening sentence declared. That white paper is now considered essential reading for anyone serious about understanding cryptocurrency.

Statues for Someone Nobody Has Ever Seen

Here's something delightfully strange: despite Nakamoto's anonymity, there are now statues honoring the Bitcoin creator. The first was unveiled in September 2021 in Graphisoft Park, Budapest, Hungary. The bronze statue shows Satoshi wearing a hoodie with the Bitcoin logo on the chest. It's free to visit 24 hours a day, and the group behind it accepts crypto donations to promote awareness.

"The statue is made of bronze, the face is made of a special bronze-aluminum composite, thus every visitor can see their own face when looking at Satoshi. We are all Satoshi," the statue's website explains.

A second Nakamoto statue was unveiled in Lugano, Switzerland in 2024. This one takes the anonymity theme further—it appears transparent from the front and changes appearance depending on the viewing angle.

Bitcoin Inspired Coinbase

Without Bitcoin, many of today's major cryptocurrency companies wouldn't exist. Coinbase Global Inc. (COIN) is a prime example. Founder Brian Armstrong has said he started creating Coinbase after reading Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper. He began coding an early prototype during nights and weekends.

Armstrong and many early Coinbase employees were so convinced of Bitcoin's future that they chose to receive a portion of their salaries in Bitcoin. That bet clearly paid off.

The Silk Road Seizure

One criticism of Bitcoin has always been its use in illegal activities thanks to transaction anonymity. The online black market Silk Road became infamous for using Bitcoin in money laundering, illegal drug transactions, and other criminal activities.

The U.S. government seized more than 170,000 Bitcoins when Silk Road was shut down in 2013. Those Bitcoin were later sold off in auctions held in 2014 and 2015.

A Country Makes Bitcoin Official Currency

One of the biggest cryptocurrency developments in 2021 was El Salvador's announcement that Bitcoin would become official legal tender. President Nayib Bukele announced in September that the country had purchased 200 Bitcoins and planned to buy more. El Salvador became the first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal currency.

The Smallest Unit Honors the Founder

The smallest unit of Bitcoin is called a Satoshi, named after the cryptocurrency's anonymous creator. One Satoshi equals one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin. This smaller denomination helps facilitate tiny transactions and makes Bitcoin more divisible for everyday use.

Only 1.4 Million Bitcoin Left to Mine

Nearly 20 million Bitcoin have been mined as of now. But Bitcoin comes with a hard cap: only 21 million will ever exist. After the 21 millionth Bitcoin is mined, no more can be created through mining. The existing supply will simply be bought and sold among holders. Currently, about 1.4 million Bitcoin remain to be mined.

Estimates suggest the last Bitcoin will be mined around 2140, though that timeline could shift as higher Bitcoin prices attract more mining operations.

The Halving Events That Change Everything

A Bitcoin halving occurs every 210,000 blocks, which works out to roughly every four years. When the 210,000th block is mined, the block rewards get cut in half.

This mechanism enforces synthetic price inflation until all Bitcoin are mined and released. Theoretically, these halvings make creating new Bitcoin more expensive and should make the cryptocurrency more valuable over time.

Bitcoin essentially operates opposite to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar, which typically lose purchasing power over time rather than gaining value. The first Bitcoin halving happened on November 28, 2012, followed by halvings in July 2016, May 2020, and April 2024.

Record Highs Keep Coming

Bitcoin had a remarkable 2021, getting added to the balance sheets of Tesla Inc., Block Inc., and other major public companies. The cryptocurrency hit an all-time high of $68,789.63 that year, trading in a range between $28,722.76 and $68,789.63.

It took three years for Bitcoin to surpass that peak, with the 2024 presidential election serving as a catalyst for new all-time highs. The cryptocurrency continued setting records into 2025, soaring past $126,000 in October 2025.

Crossing the Trillion-Dollar Threshold

Bitcoin reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion for the first time in 2021. The cryptocurrency remains the most valuable in the industry, with a market cap of $1.8 trillion at the time of writing.

That valuation would make Bitcoin the sixth most valuable company in the world if it were a company, trailing only Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon.

The ETF Breakthrough

One of 2024's biggest Bitcoin stories was the approval of several Bitcoin ETFs. This came after a federal court ruled against the Securities and Exchange Commission and directed the regulatory agency to review Grayscale Investments' application to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into an ETF.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is now one of the top Bitcoin ETFs by assets under management, ranking third at the time of writing with $14.5 billion. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) ranks first with $67.9 billion, followed by GBTC, the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), and the Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB).

Interestingly, Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss filed the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust as a planned Bitcoin ETF way back on July 1, 2013. The twins saw both their initial filing and a second attempt rejected in 2018.

Cryptocurrency Becomes a Campaign Issue

The 2024 U.S. presidential election brought cryptocurrency regulation and support to the forefront as a voter issue. Donald Trump, who had previously been skeptical of crypto, showed a dramatic change of heart.

"If you like crypto in any form…if you're in favor of crypto you'd better vote for Trump," the former president said in 2024.

Trump's campaign team became the first major party campaign to accept cryptocurrency donations, following several primary candidates who had started this practice. The campaign accepted donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tether, XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano, Shiba Inu, and Avalanche.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

Since taking office for his second term, Trump has issued several executive orders related to Bitcoin. On March 6, 2025, he signed the "Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve." Though initially rumored to include other cryptocurrencies like Solana, Cardano, XRP, and Ethereum, the final order covered only Bitcoin. The reserve kicked off with 200,000 Bitcoin the U.S. government had already seized from criminal activities.

From a white paper released on Halloween 2008 to a strategic government reserve in 2025, Bitcoin has come a long way in 17 years. Not bad for a currency created by someone we've never met.

Back to Stock Market News

Bitcoin Turns 17: Seventeen Surprising Facts About the Cryptocurrency That Changed Everything

MarketDash Editorial Team
1 day ago
January 3 marks Bitcoin's 17th birthday, celebrating the day Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block that launched the cryptocurrency revolution. From pizza purchases worth hundreds of millions to lost hard drives and mysterious statues, here are 17 fascinating facts about the world's leading digital currency.

January 3 might seem like just another early January day, but for cryptocurrency enthusiasts, it's basically Christmas. Sixteen years ago on this date, an anonymous figure known as Satoshi Nakamoto mined the genesis block of Bitcoin (BTC), fundamentally transforming how we think about money and digital assets.

To mark Bitcoin's 17th birthday, we've gathered 17 compelling facts about the cryptocurrency that started it all.

The Pizza That Cost $899 Million

Let's start with what might be the most famous transaction in cryptocurrency history. On May 22, 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz made history by paying 10,000 Bitcoin for two pizzas from Papa John's International. This wasn't just any pizza order—it was the first time Bitcoin was used to purchase actual goods in the real world.

At the time, those pizzas cost about $41. The Bitcoin used for that transaction would be worth over $899 million at today's prices. The cryptocurrency community now celebrates May 22 as Bitcoin Pizza Day every year, commemorating what might be the most expensive pizza order ever made.

Ethereum's Founder Got His Start Writing About Bitcoin

Before Vitalik Buterin became famous as a co-founder of Ethereum (ETH), he was writing about Bitcoin. In 2011, Buterin took a side job with Bitcoin Weekly, earning five Bitcoin for each article he wrote. Later that same year, he founded Bitcoin Magazine and served as its lead writer.

Buterin didn't launch the white paper for Ethereum until late 2013, and the cryptocurrency officially went live on July 30, 2015. But his journey into the crypto world started with Bitcoin journalism—not a bad gig when you consider what those five-Bitcoin payments would be worth today.

The $700 Million Hard Drive Sitting in a Landfill

James Howells has what might be the most painful Bitcoin story of all time. Back in 2013, he threw out a hard drive containing his digital wallet with 8,000 Bitcoins inside. The Wales resident has been trying ever since to convince his local city council to let him excavate the landfill where the hard drive ended up.

Howells offered the city a portion of the proceeds if they'd allow him to search. When that didn't work, he sued the local city council in 2024 for refusing to grant permission. Adding insult to injury, his ex-girlfriend revealed in 2024 that she was the one who actually threw the hard drive away. Those 8,000 Bitcoin are now worth over $700 million, sitting somewhere under tons of garbage.

The Mystery Creator Who's Still Anonymous

Seventeen years later, we still don't know who created Bitcoin. The identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in the tech world. Craig Wright fought in court to claim he was Satoshi, but the cryptocurrency community largely dismissed his assertion. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has supported the theory that computer scientist Nick Szabo created Bitcoin, and Szabo is indeed one of about a dozen names frequently mentioned as potential candidates.

A 2024 documentary titled "Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery" from investigative filmmaker Cullen Hoback added another name to the list, suggesting that Bitcoin engineer Peter Todd is most likely Satoshi Nakamoto. Todd denied the claim.

Whoever Nakamoto is, they're extraordinarily wealthy. The anonymous founder is estimated to hold between 600,000 and 1.1 million Bitcoin.

The White Paper That Started Everything

Before there was a genesis block, there was an idea. On October 31, 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto released a white paper titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." This document laid out the conceptual framework including time-stamped transactions, proof-of-work, privacy protections, and a simplified payment verification method.

"A purely peer-to-peer version of electronic cash would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution," the opening sentence declared. That white paper is now considered essential reading for anyone serious about understanding cryptocurrency.

Statues for Someone Nobody Has Ever Seen

Here's something delightfully strange: despite Nakamoto's anonymity, there are now statues honoring the Bitcoin creator. The first was unveiled in September 2021 in Graphisoft Park, Budapest, Hungary. The bronze statue shows Satoshi wearing a hoodie with the Bitcoin logo on the chest. It's free to visit 24 hours a day, and the group behind it accepts crypto donations to promote awareness.

"The statue is made of bronze, the face is made of a special bronze-aluminum composite, thus every visitor can see their own face when looking at Satoshi. We are all Satoshi," the statue's website explains.

A second Nakamoto statue was unveiled in Lugano, Switzerland in 2024. This one takes the anonymity theme further—it appears transparent from the front and changes appearance depending on the viewing angle.

Bitcoin Inspired Coinbase

Without Bitcoin, many of today's major cryptocurrency companies wouldn't exist. Coinbase Global Inc. (COIN) is a prime example. Founder Brian Armstrong has said he started creating Coinbase after reading Satoshi Nakamoto's white paper. He began coding an early prototype during nights and weekends.

Armstrong and many early Coinbase employees were so convinced of Bitcoin's future that they chose to receive a portion of their salaries in Bitcoin. That bet clearly paid off.

The Silk Road Seizure

One criticism of Bitcoin has always been its use in illegal activities thanks to transaction anonymity. The online black market Silk Road became infamous for using Bitcoin in money laundering, illegal drug transactions, and other criminal activities.

The U.S. government seized more than 170,000 Bitcoins when Silk Road was shut down in 2013. Those Bitcoin were later sold off in auctions held in 2014 and 2015.

A Country Makes Bitcoin Official Currency

One of the biggest cryptocurrency developments in 2021 was El Salvador's announcement that Bitcoin would become official legal tender. President Nayib Bukele announced in September that the country had purchased 200 Bitcoins and planned to buy more. El Salvador became the first nation to adopt Bitcoin as legal currency.

The Smallest Unit Honors the Founder

The smallest unit of Bitcoin is called a Satoshi, named after the cryptocurrency's anonymous creator. One Satoshi equals one hundred millionth of a Bitcoin. This smaller denomination helps facilitate tiny transactions and makes Bitcoin more divisible for everyday use.

Only 1.4 Million Bitcoin Left to Mine

Nearly 20 million Bitcoin have been mined as of now. But Bitcoin comes with a hard cap: only 21 million will ever exist. After the 21 millionth Bitcoin is mined, no more can be created through mining. The existing supply will simply be bought and sold among holders. Currently, about 1.4 million Bitcoin remain to be mined.

Estimates suggest the last Bitcoin will be mined around 2140, though that timeline could shift as higher Bitcoin prices attract more mining operations.

The Halving Events That Change Everything

A Bitcoin halving occurs every 210,000 blocks, which works out to roughly every four years. When the 210,000th block is mined, the block rewards get cut in half.

This mechanism enforces synthetic price inflation until all Bitcoin are mined and released. Theoretically, these halvings make creating new Bitcoin more expensive and should make the cryptocurrency more valuable over time.

Bitcoin essentially operates opposite to fiat currencies like the U.S. dollar, which typically lose purchasing power over time rather than gaining value. The first Bitcoin halving happened on November 28, 2012, followed by halvings in July 2016, May 2020, and April 2024.

Record Highs Keep Coming

Bitcoin had a remarkable 2021, getting added to the balance sheets of Tesla Inc., Block Inc., and other major public companies. The cryptocurrency hit an all-time high of $68,789.63 that year, trading in a range between $28,722.76 and $68,789.63.

It took three years for Bitcoin to surpass that peak, with the 2024 presidential election serving as a catalyst for new all-time highs. The cryptocurrency continued setting records into 2025, soaring past $126,000 in October 2025.

Crossing the Trillion-Dollar Threshold

Bitcoin reached a market capitalization of $1 trillion for the first time in 2021. The cryptocurrency remains the most valuable in the industry, with a market cap of $1.8 trillion at the time of writing.

That valuation would make Bitcoin the sixth most valuable company in the world if it were a company, trailing only Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon.

The ETF Breakthrough

One of 2024's biggest Bitcoin stories was the approval of several Bitcoin ETFs. This came after a federal court ruled against the Securities and Exchange Commission and directed the regulatory agency to review Grayscale Investments' application to convert its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) into an ETF.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust is now one of the top Bitcoin ETFs by assets under management, ranking third at the time of writing with $14.5 billion. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) ranks first with $67.9 billion, followed by GBTC, the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), and the Ark 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB).

Interestingly, Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss filed the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust as a planned Bitcoin ETF way back on July 1, 2013. The twins saw both their initial filing and a second attempt rejected in 2018.

Cryptocurrency Becomes a Campaign Issue

The 2024 U.S. presidential election brought cryptocurrency regulation and support to the forefront as a voter issue. Donald Trump, who had previously been skeptical of crypto, showed a dramatic change of heart.

"If you like crypto in any form…if you're in favor of crypto you'd better vote for Trump," the former president said in 2024.

Trump's campaign team became the first major party campaign to accept cryptocurrency donations, following several primary candidates who had started this practice. The campaign accepted donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Tether, XRP, Dogecoin, Cardano, Shiba Inu, and Avalanche.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve

Since taking office for his second term, Trump has issued several executive orders related to Bitcoin. On March 6, 2025, he signed the "Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve." Though initially rumored to include other cryptocurrencies like Solana, Cardano, XRP, and Ethereum, the final order covered only Bitcoin. The reserve kicked off with 200,000 Bitcoin the U.S. government had already seized from criminal activities.

From a white paper released on Halloween 2008 to a strategic government reserve in 2025, Bitcoin has come a long way in 17 years. Not bad for a currency created by someone we've never met.