At the end of 2009, the New Liberty Standard Exchange first realized the conversion of Bitcoin to USD, with a price of about one-tenth of a cent per coin.
On May 22, 2010, the first transaction to purchase physical goods with Bitcoin was made public. A programmer from Florida, Laszlo Hanyecz, exchanged 10,000 Bitcoins (worth less than $40) for two large pizzas (worth $25).
At the beginning of 2011, Bitcoin first broke through $0.40, surpassed $1 on February 9, rose to an annual high of nearly $30 in June, and finished the year at $4.70.
In 2012, Bitcoin consolidated and slowly strengthened throughout the year, welcoming its first 'halving' in November (which occurs approximately every four years), finishing the year at $13.50.
In 2013, the world's first Bitcoin ATM was put into operation in Vancouver. In early April, Bitcoin broke through $100, and on November 28, it first broke through $1,000, reaching a high of over $1,200 within the year, and finishing the year at $805.
At the beginning of January 2014, after Bitcoin hit $1,000, it fell to $111.60 on February 21, a decline of nearly 90%, due to a hacking attack on the Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox, finishing the year at about $318.
In 2017, Bitcoin experienced a breakthrough year, continuously breaking through $5,000, $6,000, and $10,000 (on November 28) from September onwards, and breaking through $19,000 in mid-December. Bitcoin futures began trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) in December, finishing the year at $13,850.
In 2018, Bitcoin was in a downward trend, closing at $3,709, down 73% for the year. After surging in 2019, Bitcoin fell back, closing below $7,200.
In 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bitcoin declined, but subsequently surged in November to nearly $20,000 due to liquidity released by the Federal Reserve and the expected rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, closing at $28,949.
In 2021, the price of Bitcoin rose sharply at the beginning of the year, continuously breaking through $30,000, $40,000, $50,000, and $60,000, reaching a peak of over $64,000 in mid-April. In June, the President of El Salvador proposed to declare Bitcoin as the country's legal tender. By the end of the year, the Federal Reserve announced it would begin to taper its bond purchases, and Bitcoin fell into a slump.
In 2022, in March, the Federal Reserve began a major interest rate hike, causing the price of Bitcoin to drop. As interest rates are expected to peak in October 2023 and rumors circulated that the SEC would allow the Bitcoin spot ETF to be listed, Bitcoin began to rise again, closing above $42,000.
In 2024, in January, the Bitcoin spot ETF was approved for listing, with a large influx of funds driving the price to create a historical high of over $73,000 in March. In November, Trump was re-elected as President of the United States, and Bitcoin first broke through $90,000, approaching the $100,000 mark.
