Brief history of Bitcoin in chronological order:
2008: Bitcoin's whitepaper, titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System," was published by an anonymous person or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto.
2009: The Bitcoin network officially came into existence with the mining of the first block, known as the "genesis block," on January 3, 2009.
2010: The first real-world transaction using Bitcoin occurred when Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas.
2011: Bitcoin gained wider attention and saw significant price fluctuations, reaching parity with the US dollar for the first time.
2012: Bitcoin's second halving event occurred, reducing the block reward from 50 to 25 bitcoins.
2013: Bitcoin experienced a massive price rally, reaching over $1,000 for the first time in November, before crashing back down.
2014: Mt. Gox, once the largest Bitcoin exchange, filed for bankruptcy after losing 850,000 bitcoins in a hacking incident.
2016: The third Bitcoin halving took place, reducing the block reward from 25 to 12.5 bitcoins.
2017: Bitcoin saw another historic price rally, reaching nearly $20,000 in December, driven by increased mainstream adoption and speculative trading.
2018: The price of Bitcoin experienced a significant correction, dropping below $4,000 by the end of the year, marking the end of the bull market.
2020: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Bitcoin demonstrated resilience and attracted renewed interest from institutional investors, reaching new all-time highs above $40,000.
2021: Institutional adoption of Bitcoin continued to grow, with companies like Tesla and Square announcing significant investments in Bitcoin. The cryptocurrency reached new highs, surpassing $60,000 in April.
2022: Bitcoin continued to experience volatility but maintained its status as the leading cryptocurrency, with ongoing discussions about its role as a store of value and its environmental impact.
2023: Bitcoin's adoption as a hedge against inflation and geopolitical uncertainty increased, leading to further price appreciation and mainstream acceptance.