### Stories of People Who Lost a Lot of Bitcoin
1. **James Howells**:
- **Story:** In 2013, James Howells threw away a hard drive containing 7,500 bitcoins.
- **Estimated Value (2024):** $265 million.
- **Consequences:** Tries, unsuccessfully, to obtain permission to search a landfill.
2. **Stefan Thomas**:
- **Story:** Thomas lost the password to an IronKey disk containing 7,002 bitcoins.
- **Estimated Value (2024):** $247 million.
- **Consequences:** You have already used 8 out of 10 password attempts.
3. **Mt. Gox Hack**:
- **History:** In 2014, the Mt. Gox exchange was hacked, resulting in the loss of 850,000 bitcoins.
- **Estimated Value (2024):** $30 billion.
- **Consequences:** The company went bankrupt, customers lost funds.
4. **Mark Frauenfelder**:
- **Story:** Frauenfelder lost the password to his wallet, containing $30,000 in bitcoin. He recovered after months of trying.
- **Consequences:** Highlights the importance of password security and backups.
5. **Gerald Cotten (QuadrigaCX)**:
- **History:** Cotten passed away in 2018, taking with him the passwords to the QuadrigaCX exchange's cold wallets.
- **Estimated Value:** $190 million at the time.
- **Consequences:** The exchange collapsed, customers lost funds.
These stories highlight the importance of security and careful management of private keys in the world of cryptocurrencies.